Frozen Sunshine
by ForgetfulMangoes
Summary: Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him, has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war, and to possibly fall in love in the process? SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process? Main Pairing – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – T. It might change, I'm not sure. xD

**Warnings **– Yaoi, Violence, and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Chapter 1 – Betrayal (Prologue)**

Naruto ran towards the Konoha Gates at a brisk speed, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. He had finally done it. He had finally managed to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, albeit injured and unconscious. It wasn't like Naruto wasn't hurt either. His entire chest was bloodied and he had various bruises and cuts scattered throughout his entire body, but he didn't notice them at all. The only thing on his mind was bringing Sasuke back and having Sakura thank him for finally completing his promise to her.

What he wasn't expecting was for Sakura to completely break his heart and his crush spirit.

He noticed that Sakura was chatting animatedly with Ino in front of the Village gates and felt hope spiral within him. Maybe she would actually go out on a date with him for once.

"Naruto, you're back!" she chirped happily, noticing that Naruto had returned from his mission. She glanced at her best friend and noticed the thing he was cradling in his arms. No, it wasn't a thing, it was a person, and that person happened to be Sasuke, albeit unconscious and injured.

Ino's eyes widened as she saw the bloodied Uchiha in Naruto's arms. She didn't say a word as she stared at Sasuke's pretty yet bruised face. '_Sasuke's back in Konoha? Naruto brought him back...? I should feel happy right? Then why do I feel as if something horrible will happen.'_

Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously, Ino the only one noticing. She said to Ino in a rather clipped tone, "Take Sasuke-kun to the hospital will you? I need to talk to Naruto for a second."

Ino rolled her eyes and answered, "Fine Forehead, I'll be back in a few," and walked off straining to carry Sasuke's body. She stared down at the unconscious man with disgust and mild awe, immediately thinking, _'He's as gorgeous as ever… that's the only redeeming quality about him…' _As she walked off, part of her was screaming to go back, something was off with Sakura.

As Ino went out of site, Sakura stared at Naruto with something akin to disgust. Naruto was smiling like an idiot and it pissed her off. _'How could he look so happy when he had almost killed Sasuke-kun? Naruto barely had a scratch in site! That stupid idiot… No. That monster. That's what he is, he's a monster.'_

_'Naruto wouldn't have hurt Sasuke-kun on purpose! Sasuke-kun fought back and Naruto was only defending himself!'_ part of her thought but she ignored it. A bunch of emotions ran through her, anger and confusion being the most prominent. Her head started to hurt, small shocks of pain circling throughout her head.

_'Sasuke-kun is the only one that I care for! He's the man of my dreams... Naruto is nothing in comparison,'_ another part of her thought, confusing her even more. Did she care more about Naruto or Sasuke?

"I brought Sasuke back to Konoha, Sakura-chan! Just like I promised," Naruto said still grinning widely. Now she'll have to go out with me. For sure!

"I wanted you to bring Sasuke-kun back… But, I didn't want you to nearly kill him! You… You monster!" she blurted out after a few moments of silence.

At that, Naruto froze. His bright, cerulean eyes went wide and he blinked a few times before saying, "Sakura-chan… what?"

Sakura glared daggers at him and screeched, "You almost killed Sasuke-kun! I can't believe you, you really are a monster!" Those hurtful words pouring out of her mouth, somehow she couldn't stop it. Anger was making her think irrationally, her rational side diminishing, only thoughts of disgust ran through her mind.

Naruto, who was shaking now, answered in a shaky, low tone, "He tried to kill me too, ya know?"

Sakura felt rage consume her even though part of her knew that was true. Again, she ignored it and yelled, "Who fucking cares about you? All you are is a monster. The only reason why I stayed friends with you was because I knew you could get Sasuke-kun back to me. Although, I wish he killed you in the process so I don't have to see your stupid face! Oh and I never ever loved you and I never will. Who could love a monster like you? You're not human at all, all you are is a cold heartless beast."

She stared at Naruto and felt guilt gnaw her heart when she saw that he was staring at the floor, visible tears coming down his eyes. She squashed it down immediately with no regret, not really.

_'All she cares about is Sasuke…'_ Naruto thought, anger blindly him, crystal tears sliding down his cheeks faster than before. Just who does she think she is? How could she say that to him? Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "So that's all I am to you? A monster? No..." he trailed off with a sob. "You. You're the monster not me. I fucking hate you Haruno! I tried everything I could to get you to acknowledge me as a friend and... I'm sick of it! All of it! I should I have know that you never even liked me... I'm such an idiot! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" and with that, he ran off towards his apartment. Sakura was left staring at his retreating figure.

Sakura felt numb when she realized what she had done. _'Why… Why did I say those things to Naruto? What possessed me to say that? I never meant any of it... I don't hate Naruto, I love him... Atleast, I think I do...'_

"Why are you crying Forehead?" Ino asked scaring Sakura out of her thoughts. Ino had just returned after lugging Sasuke's body to the hospital and found her best friend crying and Naruto no where in sight.

"What? I'm not crying," she answered, rubbing at her eyes.

"Uhm, yes you are Forehead."

"Oh, ahaha, something flew into my eye," Sakura said laughing and before Ino could answer, she quickly said, "Uh Ino-pig, I gotta go. Cya later!"

Ino just stared, what was that about?

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Naruto ran as fast as he could back to his shabby apartment. He just didn't want to be anywhere near Sakura. How could she say those hurtful things to him…? She knew that he hated it when he was called a monster and she went ahead and said it. _'Bitch, bitch, bitch, Sasuke obsessed bitch.'_ All affection towards her was gone in a flash, instead all he felt for her was pure anger and pure hate. He had done all he could to make her happy... It was never enough. He was tired of it, tired of getting stabbed in the back by people he trusted, tired of people just using him.

_"Who fucking cares about you? All you are is a monster, the only reason why I stayed friends with you was because I knew you could get Sasuke-kun back to me. Although, I wish he killed you in the process so I don't have to see your stupid face! Oh and I never ever loved you and I never will. Who could love a monster like you? Your not human at all, all you are is a cold heartless beast," Sakura sneered, her eyes angry and narrowed._

Sakura's word burned his heart. He felt like his life was falling apart right in front of his eyes and he hated it. He was done... Done with everything.

He stared dully at his mirror and realized that the wounds Sasuke had inflicted had started to open again, thick, red blood staining his orange jacket. Strangely enough, he didn't feel any pain; maybe because he was used to it.

He stripped out of his bloodied jacket and pants and went to take a shower.

The hot water stung his wounds, but he didn't mind at all. He loved being under the shower spray because that was the only place where he could really think.

"She never liked me all this time… I was such a blind idiot…" he muttered to himself as he felt more tears fall down his whiskered cheeks. He decided to stop dwelling on Sakura and to just think optimistically. He spent the rest of his shower in silence, trying not to think about anything that made him want to punch a wall or cry like a little baby.

As he stepped out of the shower, a sudden thought popped into his head. _'I don't want to stay in this village anymore.'_

That shocked him. Where had that thought come from? _'Konoha is my home… Ugh, who am I kidding? It's not like anyone will miss me if I leave.'_

"The Hokage wishes to see you," a voice drawled from outside his window, scaring Naruto out of his thoughts. He immediately knew that it was Kakashi-sensei.

Wiping off his tears and putting on his clothing, he answered in his normal cheery tone, "I'm coming."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Naruto didn't think his day could get any worse, but of course it did.

When Naruto entered the Hokage's office, he knew that Tsunade was not in a good mood. She was glaring at him and judging from the bottles of Sake she had on her desk, she was drunk. A drunk Tsunade is not a happy Tsunade.

"Uzumaki, how dare you nearly kill Sasuke?! Do you know what this would do to the village and the council members?! God, you are so fucking stupid sometimes I wonder why I even bother with someone like you," she said in a rather slurred voice, grabbing an empty sake bottle and shaking it. She frowned when she realized that it was angry.

Shizune stared in horror at Tsunade when she said that to Naruto.

Naruto immediately stiffened and said in a dazed tone, "Baa-chan?"

"Don't Baa-chan me, brat… Sometimes I wish you could just be dead, it could have saved Konoha from a lot of trouble." Tsunade snapped, throwing the bottle, clumsily, at Naruto's direction. It landed on the ground and burst into hundreds of pieces.

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Two of his precious people had just insulted him and told him that it would do everyone better if he was dead. His eyes started to tear up again. He scolded himself for being such a girl, but he just couldn't help it. _'Does everyone think of me as a monster? Does everyone hate me? That's it... I'm done with everyone... I'm done with Konoha,' _he thought, his eyes dull and blank.

Tsunade seemed to have regained her senses after she said that and immediately tried to apologize. "Naruto, I didn't mean that… I…"

"Shut up," he hissed and jumped out the window.

He couldn't stand being in Konoha anymore. Bringing Sasuke home was supposed to be a good thing. Everyone was supposed to be happy, but it didn't happen the way he hoped. Naruto ran towards the gates of Konoha. When he finally reached the gates, he found the guard to be unconscious. He really should get talk to Baa-chan about getting new guards. Oh wait.. He was leaving wasn't he?

"Goodbye Konoha, not like you guys would care if I left…" Naruto said bitterly as he ripped off his headband, threw it on the floor, and ran out of Konoha, not looking back and not regretting a thing. Liar.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Hokage-sama, open up," a feminine voice called.

Tsunade quickly wiped off the tears on her face and told Shizune to go and open the door. Shizune glanced at the door with uncertainty but went to open it anyways.

Sakura ran in, panting heavily, and asked in a shaken tone, "Hokage-sama have you seen Naruto anywhere? I can't find him."

At that, Tsunade was worried, "Did you check his apartment or Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Yeah…"

"It seems Naruto has left Konoha," Kakashi answered, climbing in from the window.

"What?!" Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune yelled at the same time.

"How do you know he left?" Sakura asked panicking.

Kakashi held up Naruto's Konoha headband and said, "I found this at the gates and the guard, who was asleep, told me that he had heard something run by while unconscious."

"What? Why would he leave?" Tsunade asked, extremely confused.

"N-Naruto… Left Konoha… This is all my fault..." Sakura muttered, tears forming in her emerald eyes. "He left because of me… He left hating me…"

"He left because of you? Explain," Tsunade commanded in a stony, cold tone. Kakashi looked up at Sakura with shock.

"I-I called Naruto a m-monster and told him it w-would be better if he was d-dead… when h-he brought Sasuke-kun b-backk… I-I wasn't thinking clearly a-and now... he's gone…" Tears slid down her cheeks and she started to sob loudly._ 'I'm sorry Naruto. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…'_

Tsunade sighed and said, "It's equally my fault, I did the same thing you did. We both weren't thinking correctly." She turned to Kakashi and told him, "I want you and Sakura to go out and find Naruto. Bring him back to Konoha."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Sakura let's go."

"Okay…" _'Naruto I'll bring you back and I'll apologize to you! Your my best friend and… I love you!'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sasuke woke up to white. Everything was white, and it hurt his eyes. He sat up, wincing a little as he felt his wounds open, and looked around. _'Oh great, I'm at Konoha Hospital... Did the dobe actually defeat me?' _He closed his eyes and tried to remember his recent fight with Naruto, the fight that landed him back in Konoha, the place he promised to destroy to avenge his brother.**  
**

_He was on his way to Konoha, to get his revenge on the people of Konoha. 'They killed my brother, those bastards," when he heard a loud voice call him._

_"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, his eyes wide with shock._

_He didn't move. 'Naruto...' He thought with annoyance. Why couldn't the moron just leave him alone?_

_"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled again a little louder._

_He still didn't move. The last thing he wanted to do was see the blonde idiot. He was afraid of what would happen if he looks into those clear, blue eyes filled with determination._

_"If you won't answer me then I'll make you!" Naruto exclaimed, running towards Sasuke, a rasengan in his hand. "Rasengan!"_

_Sasuke effortlessly jumped out of the way before the chakra orb could hit him. He turned to face Naruto, a glare on his face, and said, "What do you want?"_

_"Your going back to Konoha, Sasuke! If it's the last thing I do!" Naruto yelled again, running towards Sasuke, his fist clenched._

_Sasuke blocked it with ease, and kneed Naruto in the stomache, making him fall to the ground. "Whatever. You aren't even a competent ninja. What makes you think that you could defeat me? The last Uchiha?" he hissed._

_"Shut up! I will beat you and drag you back to Konoha! I promised Sakura-chan that I would bring you back, and I will! I know it!" Naruto snarled, a bit hurt that Sasuke called him a bad ninja. He chose to ignore it._

_"I'd like to see you try," Sasuke answered, walking off, not even sparing another glance at the blonde._

_Naruto, at this point, was really starting to get pissed off. He ran towards the Uchiha and tried to punch him again, only be to blocked. Sasuke, aimed a kick at Naruto but this time, Naruto dodged and tried to Rasengan him. Sasuke dodged without even batting an eye. They kept on fighting for what seemed to be like minutes, when in reality it was hours._

_'This is really getting boring. Is the dobe really that weak? Time to end this fight, once and for all.' Sasuke summoned Chidori and rammed it into Naruto's chest, expecting the dobe to dodge. He didn't expect it to hit the idiot. Naruto's eyes widened and blood spilled out of his mouth as Sasuke's fist broke through his heart._

_'Fuck, fuck, fuck. How did he manage to get me again? Am I really that weak?' Naruto thought as he felt pain course through him, knowing that his death was near._

_**'Your not going to die again,'** a deep voice answered. The Kyuubi. Naruto, struggled to keep from falling unconscious but was unable to stay awake. His eyes closed and he blacked out._

_'... Did I just kill Naruto?" Sasuke thought shocked, staring at the unconscious body of the blonde. "Shouldn't I feel happy? Why do I feel like my hearts been ripped to shreds? I.. I don't understand." Sasuke was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt evil chakra. 'Hn. Of course the nine tails would save Naruto everytime he's near death."_

_Naruto's eyes snapped open. His eyes were slitted and blood red. He hissed, baring sharp teeth and attacked Sasuke with a tailed beast ball. _

_Sasuke couldn't dodge and the last thing he thought of before blacking out was, Why? Why can't I bring myself to kill him?!_

_'I can't believe I was defeated by him. Speaking of which, where is the_ dobe?' Sasuke looked around, a bit suprised that Naruto wasn't in the room with him. Where was he?

**Time Skip – A month later**

_'Are they still at it?'_ Naruto thought annoyed but also a bit pleased that Tsunade was actually trying to find him, not that he would admit it.

'_**Apparently they are.'**_

It was suprising when Naruto first heard the Kyuubi talk a month back. It was even more surprising that the fox wasn't cursing him out, rather offering advice at times, although rather harshly. Naruto was really grateful for that because he wasn't so alone anyone. He considered the fox a friend, not that he would admit it.

_'What should I do about it?'_

'_**Fake your death simple as that.'**_

_'How am I supposed to do that?! Don't you think I thought of that you stupid, old fox!'_

'_**Tch. Gaki. Just make a clone.'**_

_'Yeah but, the clone will explode itself if it gets hurt.'_

'_**Don't actually hurt it, just make it look like it's been bloodied.'**_

_'Oh, I knew that!'_

'_**Sure you did…'**_

_'Hey!'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Naruto was dead. His body was on the floor and it was not a pleasant thing to look at. Parts of Naruto's flesh were missing, his limbs bent in ways that weren't natural. Blood was oozing out of wounds making the grass beneath him red. His beautiful, cerulean eyes were wide open, unblinking, and blood was spilling out of his mouth. He was freshly dead; his body still a bit warm.

"Naruto?! No... Naruto...," Sakura ran up to the mutilated body, cradling it in her lap. She stared at the dead, blue orbs of her friend and felt tears rise up in her emerald eyes. They fell down her cheeks at a steady pace, dripping clear tears onto Naruto's cold cheek. She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face, it just hurt to so much to know that her friend was dead. Dead, because of her. _'This is all my fault… if I hadn't said those things… Then he wouldn't be dead!"_ A sudden thought struck Sakura, _'And... Who killed him? Why would they kill him? What did Naruto ever do wrong?!'_

All around her were Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, as well as Gai-sensei, and all of the Konoha 11 minus Naruto. They were watching Sakura with somber faces as she cried and cradled the dead body of Naruto in her lap. Even Sasuke came, which was surprising because he wouldn't communicate with anyone ever since he was brought back to Konoha. It was surprising that he was even able to be there.

"The power of youth is gone!" Gai yelled with his overly enthusiastic voice as large streams of tears flew down his face. Lee was reacting the same way his role model was, crying and yelling about the power of youth. Ino was crying and glaring at Sasuke at the same time. Hinata was quietly sobbing while Neji was staring at the floor clenching his fists. Kiba was staring at the corpse, his expression of utmost anger. Akamaru was barking and staring at Kiba with worry. Chouji was sobbing while eating a bag of his favorite chips. Tenten was staring at Sakura with regret in her eyes. Kakashi felt anger towards himself as a horrible teacher, he was looking at Sakura and Naruto with pain evident in his eyes. Iruka was visibly sobbing for his student. And Sasuke, being himself, showed little to no emotion at all. The bastard.

It was quiet for a little while, until Hinata broke the silence. She had finally snapped.

"Naruto is dead… He's dead. Dead because... of you," she yelled pointing at Sakura. "All you've ever done was bring Naruto pain and sorrow. Pain and sorrow that he never deserved! You shallow bitch… Blindly following the Uchiha, you are disgusting. Naruto would still be around if you hadn't said those words to him!"

Everyone stared in shock. Hinata had yelled. She had actually yelled.

"And you! Uchiha! You bastard! You were Naruto's best friend, his brother in a sense. He cared a lot about you and the first thing you do is betray him and try to kill him! You two are disgusting. Maybe, if Naruto had been in another team, in a team that didn't constantly hurt him and make fun of him, then he would be alive and well. Maybe he could even be happy!"

"I-I know… I regret what I did, I was extremely stupid. He was the only person that would always be there for me no matter what... I don't deserve someone as caring and kind as him..." Sakura said dully with a distant look in her eyes.

Sasuke didn't even answer. All he did was stare at Naruto's body.

Kiba got pissed off that Sasuke wasn't answering, _'Does the bastard even care?'_

_'I bet he's happy that Naruto is dead,'_ Hinata thought with rage. She walked over to Sasuke and tried to punch him the living daylights out of him, only to be blocked. She looked right into his eyes and saw that he looked guilty. Hinata quickly pulled her arm back and stared at Sasuke confused before grief overwhelmed her.

She walked over to the nearest tree and punched it hard, tearing sliding down her cheeks. "He never deserved any of this..." she sobbed out.

It was silent once more for a few minutes as everyone let Hinata cry for him.

"Let's go back to Konoha," Kakashi said breaking through the silence. He walked over to Sakura who was still cradling the body and picked it up, shuddering as he saw the blank orbs of his dead student.

No one said a word as they headed back to Konoha uncertain of what will happen once they get back. One thing was certain though, Naruto Uzumaki was dead.

**One week later – Naruto's Funeral**

The funeral was depressing to say the least. Everyone was dressed in black and not saying a word. It was held near the Hokage's office, the entire placed decorated with orange, Naruto's favorite color. The weather in Konoha was rather cold and depressing, perfectly matching everyone's mood.

Many people from the village attended, all of Naruto's friends and their family, Ayame and her father, the Hokage, and many villagers who respected Naruto and trusted him after he saved Konoha in his battle with Pein.

"I'll never forget you Naruto," Sakura whispered placing flowers near his coffin before proceeding to break down in tears.

"I love you Naruto, I always have and I always will," Hinata muttered, her eyes blank, placing flowers near his unmoving body.

"Dobe," Sasuke said staring at Naruto's corpse. He still couldn't believe that Naruto had died. With his go lucky attitude and brilliant smile, one would think that he would be immortal but the sad truth is, he's not. He smiled sadly before placing his flowers near the coffin.

"Naruto nii-san! Why? Why did you leave us?" Konohamaru cried out.

One by one, everyone said their prayers to Naruto, the Hokage being the last to do so.

She walked onto the platform that Naruto's coffin was on and cleared her throat, ready to give a speech. "Naruto was a special person, someone who could make you smile when you're down or even make you angry in a blink of an eye. He was a loyal person who would do anything for his friends. Naruto made Konoha a livelier place and he never gave up even when the odds were against him. He is not only a citizen of Konoha, but a friend, to all. Naruto may be gone but he will always be in our hearts forever!"

"Tch. I for one am glad that the Demon Fox is dead," a deep voice interrupted.

Everyone turned to that one person, a dark haired man with a stocky build. Many people were glaring daggers at him but he didn't seem fazed at all, in fact he seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"What? I'm only telling the truth. I'm sure there are plenty of people out here who agree with me," the guy sneered.

"Chidori," Sasuke yelled summoning the deadly jutsu, but he was too late. Sakura had already made her way to the man and punched him so hard in the chest that the cracking of his ribs could be heard from miles away.

"Augh… You little bitch, how dare you hurt a civilian, it's punishable by death," the guy wheezed clutching his chest.

"Talking about Naruto that way is punishable as well, so, shut your mouth before I go over there and break all your limbs," Tsunade growled. She then turned to the ANBU guard next to her and said in a cold tone, "Take that man to the dungeons."

"Hai Hokage-sama," the ANBU replied calmly.

After the man was taken away, screaming and thrashing, the funeral continued and Naruto was buried into the ground. It was sad really, in only a few days Naruto would have turned 16. His life was taken away from him so early.

"Goodbye Naruto," Tsunade whispered as his coffin was covered by dirt.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

_'I can't believe that actually worked,'_ Naruto thought with amazement while he was preparing to sleep. He had been living in a cave now for a week or two, it was alright, but he missed his small apartment.

'_**See, not so hard right?'**_ Kyuubi answered.

_'Yeah, I guess… I just wonder how everyone's doing in Konoha right now and if they even care that I'm dead.'_

'_**They care. I know that for sure.'**_

_'Yeah. Sure they do.'_

Kyuubi rolled his eyes, Naruto was still in denial. He knew eventually Naruto would go back to Konoha. Only time will tell.

**End of Chapter 1**

**Author Notes-** This is my first fanfiction ^^ I hope you guys like it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process? Main Pairing – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – T. It might change, I'm not sure. xD

**Warnings **– Yaoi, Violence, and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Chapter 2 – Consequences**

**-Six months after Naruto's death-**

All Sasuke wanted to do was leave Konoha. He didn't want to stay in this horrible place any longer. He was locked in the Uchiha compounds under house arrest for two years. He hated this village, the place that Itachi sacrificed his life for and the place that had done nothing but hurt his best friend. '_If he even thinks of me as a friend,'_ Sasuke thought. It gave him even more reason to burn down the damn village. He would if he could but those stupid chakra restrictors that were bound onto his wrists made him as harmful as a civilian. Fuck Konoha. Fuck. Fuck. _'Sadistic bastards… Just kill me already,'_ he thought annoyed.

_'They won't kill you until you revive the Uchiha clan,'_ part of him thought.

_'Well, fuck that, I rather die than impregnate some stupid fangirl,'_ the angry part of him thought. _'Wait, am I really arguing with myself?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'… Hn. I really am going crazy.'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"What I would do for a bowl of Ichiraku ramen right now…" Naruto sighed as he walked through the forest. It's been months since he left Konoha. It was surprising how little he cared about going back after the first month; the only place he cared for was Ichiraku's because the ramen served there was a gift from god.

All he felt was hate towards the Village. The place where no one would go near him because he was the "Demon", the place where his parents as well as Ero-sennin sacrificed their lives, the place where he was betrayed by the people closest to him. _'I will never ever go back there. Ever,'_ he thought bitterly.

'_**Hehe…'**_ the fox chuckled.

_'What?! You stupid fox!'_

'_**Nothing.'**_

Naruto rolled his eyes and kept on walking. He was headed to Suna, to seek out Gaara, the Kazekage. _'It's been a long time since I saw him… I wonder how he's doing.'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Gaara was sitting in his office doing paperwork. How fun. He wasn't in a good mood at all; he had just found out that Naruto, his first friend, was dead. It hadn't helped that he had died six months ago and that Gaara was only alerted about it now. He tightened his hold on the pen he was currently using to the point that it snapped in half. Showing little to no emotion, he stood up and went to get another pen. What he didn't expect was someone knocking on the door.

_'Who is that? Temari and Kankuro are on a mission right now and I doubt anyone wants to talk me to me when they know I'm not in a good mood.'_

"Kazekage-sama, there's a Shinobi outside who wants to see you," a male voice called from out the door.

"Who?" Gaara asked stumped, he hadn't been expecting any visitors.

"He tells me that he goes by Kitsune Shadow."

_'Kitsune Shadow? Isn't that the infamous assassin that was known as the Devil himself? What does he want?'_ Gaara thought for a second.

"Kazekage-sama?"

"Let him in," Gaara replied calmly.

The door opened and in walked in the Suna Shinobi and a man behind him. He was around 5'6 and was completely covered in black. He was wearing traditional shinobi clothing covered by a black cloak. A hood was concealing his hair and his face was covered by a white Kitsune mask with intricate, red designs.

Gaara couldn't sense any chakra from him. Did he even have any?

"You can leave," Gaara said emotionlessly, turning towards the Suna Shinobi.

He looked uncertain but replied, "Hai, Kazekage-sama," and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Gaara, it's been a long time…" the man in the mask said in a friendly tone.

_'His voice seems rather familiar… Like Naruto's but not as bright or as warm. Could it be?'_

The man took off his mask to reveal sunny blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and three whisker marks. Gaara's eyes widened, _'Can it be Naruto? But he's dead… The Hokage said it herself.'_ Immediately Gaara was suspicious, but a little bit hopeful.

"It's me, Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto said and smiled his signature foxy grin; it looked forced.

"… Naruto's dead. Who are you and why are you pretending to be him?" Gaara snarled.

"I am Naruto… I faked my death after uh, an incident that happen in Konoha," he said in a flat tone.

"Prove it."

Naruto rolled his eyes and said in an obnoxiously loud tone, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be the Hokage! Believe it!"

Gaara covered his ears. Only one person could be that loud and obnoxious. Without even thinking, he walked up to Naruto, and embraced the blonde boy.

"You had me so worried Naruto! I really believed that you were dead!"

"Heh... Sorry."

"Wait… Why? Why did you fake your death?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he stared at the floor blankly. "Uh, I faked my death so I can leave Konoha in peace. I really didn't want to stay after what happened when Sasuke returned…"

Gaara couldn't believe his ears, Naruto, the person that taught him how to never give up, left the village he promised to protect.

"I'm no longer a Konoha nin…" Naruto laughed without humor.

"Well you're welcome to stay in Suna as long as you want," Gaara offered, his voice soft.

"Thanks, but no thanks," at that Gaara raised his nonexistent eyebrows. "I was just visiting you for a few. I haven't talked to a friend in a long time… I can trust you right? Trust you to not tell anyone who I am. Well I'll be going now. Bye Gaara," Naruto said as he put his mask back on.

"I won't tell anyone Naruto, I promise," Gaara replied smiling a little bit. "But, I want to have a way to contact you."

"How? I mean, we can use letters but that isn't the most efficient way," he answered, puzzled.

Gaara walked over to his desk and pulled out two identical necklaces. He tossed one to Naruto who caught it in surprise.

"These shall allow us to contact each other."

"How?" Naruto asked staring at it. It was quite pretty, a long silver chain with a diamond shaped, green jewel in the center.

"Go ahead and put it on."

Naruto put it on, Gaara did too.

"Just focus your chakra and talk through it. I should be able to get the message. When a message comes, the necklace will glow green and to hear it simply, touch it. It'll play in your head."

"Oh, neat! Well, I guess I'll be going, call me if you need anything. Bye Gaara," Naruto said walking out the door.

"Goodbye Naruto," Gaara replied, _'Be safe.'_

**Time skip – 1 year and a half**

Sasuke was finally a free man. He was finally able to leave the confines of his own home and enjoy the fresh air, only, he wasn't enjoying it. He hated it. Following the house arrest, the other part of his punishment was to continuously go on missions with a certain pink haired idiot and a gray haired pervert. Oh joy.

"Sasuke-kun," a feminine voice called out. "Lady Hokage wants to see us."

"Hn."

"I wonder what mission we'll get this time… It better not be catching that cat again. I mean we did that years ago, why do it again?" she said smiling, trying to talk to him.

"Hn."

_'Why can't she ever shut up?' _Sasuke thought annoyed.

Sakura noticed Sasuke's annoyed expression and stopped trying to talk to him. '_Why can't he open up… Why won't he talk to me or anyone for that matter?'_

They continued walking in silence until they reached the Hokage's office. Kakashi had already arrived much to their surprise.

The first words Tsunade said surprised everyone, "Orochimaru is alive."

"What? How can that be? Sasuke killed him!" Sakura exclaimed.

_'She didn't call me Sasuke-kun.'_ he thought surprised.

"He did, but Kabuto, managed to bring him back to life and now, he's ruling Sound again. From my spies stationed there, Orochimaru is planning to come back to Konoha to get Sasuke's body, as creepy as it sounds," Tsunade answered smoothly.

"So what are we to do, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"Since, our secret weapon, the nine tails, is gone; we are most likely going to lose the fight," Tsunade replied not seeming worried.

Sasuke felt anger in the pit of his stomach, _'Did she just call Naruto a weapon? Does she even care about him at all? Naruto thought of her as his family and she just goes and calls him a weapon, not even showing that she cares about his well being as a person… Not like it matters since he isn't alive anymore… Am I still not over that? It's been two years, no point in dwelling on the past…'_

"You are to locate the infamous assassin, the Kitsune Shadow, and ask him to help fight on our side."

Everyone's eyes widened as they heard what Tsunade was asking. Sakura was the first to speak up, "With all due respect Hokage-sama, do you think this is really a good idea? I heard the man kills without even caring, that he's a demon without a heart. Do you really think that having him here is a good idea or if he even cares to help Konoha? If anything, he would have probably sided with Orochimaru or he's a spy working with them. What do we have to offer for him to help anyways?"

"The Kazekage knows and trusts him, and with his help, Konoha will win for sure," Tsunade said as she grabbed the bottle of sake on her table.

"Why can't the Kazekage just help us in the upcoming fight then?"

"Suna is fighting a battle of its own right now," she said as she popped the bottle open and started to drink.

"Oh... Well then where do we find the guy?"

"The Kazekage said to not worry about it, you'll find him."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Naruto was in the middle of tracking down some wanted shinobi when the necklace Gaara gave him started to glow.

_'It's been months since I last talked to him... I wonder what he wants,'_ Naruto wondered. He touched the necklace as he jumped from tree to tree.

"Naruto, I have some horrible news," Gaara's voice rang out, smooth and clear.

"Horrible news? What happened?"

"Orochimaru is alive and is planning to attack Konoha."

"What?! Uchiha killed that old snake! How can he be alive?" Naruto thought, shocked.

A kunai whizzed past him. "Gotcha." Within a second, Naruto found the shinobi who threw the knife at him. Without looking at the man, Naruto slashed his throat and threw the man onto the floor.

"You bastard… " the foreign shinobi choked out.

Naruto smirked and said in a cold, uncaring voice, "Your fault for throwing the knife at me," before walking up to the man and stabbing him right in the heart with a kunai. He felt the man's beating heart close to a stop. Naruto felt no emotions when he saw that the man was dead. The first time he had killed someone, he had nightmares for weeks, but afterwards, he didn't even think about the person he killed. Naruto had learned to keep his emotions in check and to not crack his mask, not his actual one, although he learned not to crack that one too. He rarely felt emotions anymore. The old Naruto was gone, he had been gone since the day he was betrayed by his friends and family in Konoha.

"All dead… What a bore." He glanced at his necklace and realized that it was glowing again. He touched it and heard Gaara's worried, yet calm voice.

"What's going on Naruto?"

"Just finishing off a mission. So what were you saying?"

"Konoha needs your help to stop Orochimaru."

"What makes you think that I will help Konoha?"

"Naruto… I know you. You may act like you hate Konoha, but I know deep down, you still care."

"Well then, you're absolutely wrong. I don't care about Konoha, if anything I'll help Orochimaru destroy the village."

"You know that's not true," Gaara answered exasperated at how stubborn Naruto is.

Naruto thought about it and he realized that Gaara was infact correct. _'I do care about Konoha, but… Only because my parents and Ero-sennin sacrificed their lives for it… I won't let their deaths be in vain, not when I can do something about it.'_

'_**Good thinking.'**_

_'Not you again…'_

"Tch, fine. Do I just head to Konoha?"

"Don't go to Konoha, just go near the village so that the shinobi the Hokage-," '_Tsunade…'_ ,"sent would be able to find you."

"Alright, Gaara. Do you know who the shinobi are?"

"I'm not sure."

"Okay then. Goodbye Gaara, you owe me for this."

"Bye Naruto."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei!" Ino called out when she saw them heading towards the exit of Konoha. Were they going out on a mission?

Shikamaru, who was with her, just stared up at them with a bored expression and muttered, "Troublesome."

Ino smacked him and told him to be quiet.

"Oh, hey Ino," Sakura answered.

"Ino," Kakashi acknowledged.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

Ino felt her eyes twitch, was that all the bastard ever said? What does "Hn" even mean?

"Are you guys going on a mission?"

"Yeah, we have track down this Kitsune Shadow guy or something," Sasuke drawled.

He had talked, the first words he said in months that wasn't "Hn".

"Kitsune Shadow? Oh my god, isn't he that famous assassin guy who always wears that mask? No one's ever seen his face! When you find him, rip his mask off for me will you?" Ino asked with stars in her eyes.

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes.

"Uhm, sure?" Sakura answered.

"You better billboard brow!"

"We have to get going. Come on Sakura and Sasuke," Kakashi drawled out.

"Cya guys later!"

"Hn."

After they left, Ino started chatting about the assassin guy. _'How troublesome,'_ Shikamaru thought.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

_'I should be close enough to Konoha that they should be able to find me,'_ Naruto thought. He was close enough that he could see the old training field where Team Seven would always meet. Team Seven… He missed being in a team, his life the past two years have been nothing but loneliness. He craved friendship, not that he would admit it. _'Well, atleast I have Gaara right? Even though I never get to see him…'_

**_'Cheer up, you'll get to see your old friends soon.'_**

_'They're not my friends anymore! They don't care about me!'_

**_'Why did they have to seal me into a stubborn idiot like you…'_**

_'Deal with it stupid fox.'_

He sat down on a stump of a cut down tree and stared up at the clear, blue sky, thinking about his old life in Konoha. His life before everything went wrong.

**-Flashback-**

_"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Go out on a date with me!" Naruto yelled when he arrived at the old field._

_"Shut up Naruto!" Sakura yelled and walked up to Sasuke and started to stare at him. She had hearts in her eyes._

_Naruto felt jealousy rise up in him. Why does Sakura like the teme so much anyways? What's so good about him?_

_"Stop staring at me, usuratonkachi," Sasuke said smoothly._

_Naruto's face turned red and he spluttered out, "I'm not staring at you teme!"_

_Sakura walked up to Naruto with a vein popping out on her forehead and smacked him right on the head. "Stop staring at Sasuke-kun, Naruto! That's so rude!"_

_"But Sakura-chan..."_

_"Hn, dobe."_

_"Oh, hey guys!" Kakashi said in a cheery tone, appearing from a puff of smoke, his eyes curving into crescents._

_"Your late!" both Naruto and Sakura yelled at the same time._

_"I got lost on the road of life," Kakashi answered scratching his head, still smiling._

_"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura yelled again._

_"Hn. Whatever," Sasuke muttered._

**-End Flashback-**_  
_

Naruto smiled at that memory. He enjoyed his days when he was on Team Seven. To be honest, it was the best days of his entire life. Nothing was the same when Sasuke left. The memory almost made him want to return to Konoha but certain thoughts popped into his head, memories he rather leave buried.

_"You... You monster!" Sakura yelled, her eyes showing anger and disgust._

_"It would be better for Konoha if you were dead," Tsunade slurred._

_"What a joke. You aren't even a competent ninja, you could never defeat me," Sasuke hissed. _

Naruto started to shake uncontrollably, '_Why do they still affect me so much? It's been two years since all of this happened. I should be over this by now...'_ He realized that he was still staring blanking at the old field and blinked a few times.

**_'Someones here. Ah, it seems to be the pink haired girl, the white haired guy, and the Uchiha.'_**

The fox was correct, Naruto felt three familiar chakra's heading his way. He stopped shaking and stiffened. _'I'm not ready for this...'_

**'Yes you are, it's been two years.'**

Under his mask, Naruto grimaced and quickly henged his voice into something a lot deeper and older sounding. The stupid fox was correct, he was always correct. Why couldn't the damn fox be wrong for once?

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sakura was nervous. What was this Kitsune Shadow man like? Would he kill them on site? From what she had heard about him, he seemed to be a heartless killer who really enjoyed killing. She had even heard that he tortured some of his victims into begging for death. Is that man even trustworthy?

As she jumped from tree to tree, she felt even more worried, her heart started to beat faster, cold sweat formed in her clenched fists and on her head, and she was starting to shake a little. _'No... I can't give into fear... And anyways, the Kazekage trusts him, so I should be able to as well, right?' _She looked down, and to her surprise, she saw a masked man sitting on a tree stump._ 'Is that him?' _She stopped at where she was at, staring at the man.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Kakashi asked, stopping when he landed on the nearest tree.

"Yeah I'm fine," Sakura answered.

"Then why'd you stop?" Kakashi questioned. At this point, Sasuke had noticed and stopped moving from tree to tree.

"I think I found the man that we're looking for, Sakura replied, "Down there." She pointed to the figure that was sitting on a tree stump. From what she could tell, the man was completely covered in black. He looked scary enough, but she couldn't feel any chakra from him. That scared her even more, if that was even possible. _'Hope he's not going to kill us...'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

**'Up there.'**

Naruto braced himself and looked up. He saw two of the three people that he never wished to see ever again. Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha.

**End of Chapter 2**

**Author Notes- **Chapter Two finished~ Yay! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process? Main Pairing – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – T. It might change, I'm not sure. xD

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Chapter 3 - Reunion**

**-Hours Earlier-**

Tsunade was really confused after the little chat with Gaara, the Kazekage. Why would he send a dangerous Assassin to help and on top of that only him? No one else. It made absolutely no sense at all. She heard that he was crazy strong but will he really be any help to Konoha? What if he wasn't even that strong? What if everything she had heard about him were just fake, made up lies? What then? She felt a headache coming on and groaned slamming her head on the desk.

"Are you okay Hokage-sama?" Shizune asked holding Tonton, Tsunade's pet pig, in her arms.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired, that's all," Tsunade answered, sitting up straight in her chair.

"Are you worried about Kakashi and his students? Well, used-to-be students," Shizune asked curiously.

"No, I'm sure they're fine. It's just that, why the hell would the Kazekage send an Assassin to help us in the upcoming war? Couldn't he have sent someone who was actually trustworthy?" Tsunade grumbled. "Get me a bottle of Sake will you?"

"... You already drank over ten bottles! Just this week Hokage-sama! You drank way to much!" Shizune exclaimed.

"Oink!" Tonton agreed.

"So? I like drinking it, it makes me feel at ease," Tsunade said glaring daggers at Shizune; Shizune shivered.

"Fine, Hokage-sama... I'll go get you some but just know that it isn't good for you at all. It's harming you in a lot of ways, not to mention that it doesn't even taste remotely good. It can cause you to die years earlier, you can get sick, you won't be as strong, and you might do some stupid things when your drunk," Shizune lectured.

_'Like how I reacted to Naruto... I can't believe I said that to him... He didn't deserve any of it. I was just frustrated, that's all. Maybe I shouldn't drink anymore... But, Alcohol is just way to good to give up...'_ Tsunade thought. "Just get some for me will you?" Tsunade replied, rolling her eyes at how worried Shizune is about her health. _'I'll die when I want to.'_

"Okay. Okay," Shizune answered walking out the door with Tonton still in her arms. The pig looking back at Tsunade with worry.

"... I wish I wasn't Hokage. So much stress and... Stupid paperwork," Tsunade muttered, slamming her head against the desk, again.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Gaara knew that Naruto, no matter how persistent he is on his hate for Konoha, still cared for the village he was born in. Naruto had managed to convince himself that he hated Konoha but in reality, he did still care, it was just hidden under all his hate and bitterness. When, Orochimaru had been revived and about to attack Konoha, Gaara knew what he had to do. He was going to send Naruto back to the village he came from, and rekindle the fire that had once been in those brilliant, blue eyes.

Oh, how Naruto was going to hate him for this. But... It's all worth it in the end.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

**-Present time-**

_'Why couldn't Tsunade have sent other shinobi to find him? Why did it have to be his old team mates? Just why?!'_ Naruto thought with pure rage. He clenched his fists and started thinking murderous thoughts.

"Uhm... Are you the Kitsune Shadow?" a feminine voice questioned with uncertainty.

Naruto looked up and saw the girl that he used to have a crush on. The girl that made him leave Konoha. The girl who's nothing but a shallow, self-centered bitch that only cared about herself and Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura Haruno, with her shoulder length bubblegum pink hair, a huge forehead, big emerald eyes framed by long pink lashes, and a rather boyish figure. She was wearing the same outfit as she had worn before, a red top with a white circle on the back, a pastel purple skirt with black shorts underneath, black gloves, and black boots. Her Konoha head protector, was on her head, being used as a hairband. She had barely changed since Naruto had last seen her two years ago. The only change was in her eyes. They didn't look as bright as before, rather dull and angry.

"Yes. And you are?" he asked in an annoyed tone. He wondered why he even had a crush on her, years back. There was nothing special about her, all she is, is a kunoichi who cares about looks more than skill.

"Oh! I'm Sakura Haruno," she answered, forcing a smile. '_This guy seems like a total jerk, an arrogant prick, but I have to be nice to him.'_

"Hm. Alright Bubblegum," Naruto drawled, not paying much attention to her.

Sakura's face turned red and her eyes started twitching. She struggled to keep her composure, to keep from punching the man in the face.

"The Kazekage told us that you're helping Konoha fight against Orochimaru, am I correct?" Kakashi interrupted before Sakura could reply. Kakashi had barely changed either, Naruto noted. Grey hair, a purple mask covering half his face, and a rather bored expression. At least he wasn't wasn't reading those perverted books, well, not right now.

Sasuke was silent the entire time watching. Naruto glanced at him and saw that the bastard was staring at a tree. How interesting. Atleast, he wasn't dressed up with those stupid purple ropes around his waist, rather, he was wearing the standard Konoha shinobi outfit. He still had creamy, pale skin, spiky black hair in the shape of a duck's butt, beautiful dark eyes, and a lean, toned figure. In all, he looked gorgeous, but he was still a grade A asshole, that acted like he was superior to everyone and everything, judging from his body position and facial expression.

"Stupid Gaara. Promising things," Naruto grumbled. "But since, he's such a good friend, I might as well help save your pathetic village."

"Konoha is not pathetic!" Sakura snapped, this man was grating on her last nerve.

"It is to me, if your asking for help from a murderer," Naruto answered without emotion.

Sakura was ready to beat this guy into a bloody pulp. He's even more of an arrogant asshole than Sasuke is, if that was even possible. She ran foward, trying to punch him to death, but before she could, Kakashi held his hand in front of her, effectively stopping her.

"Don't Sakura," Kakashi warned.

"Sorry," Sakura muttered, still glaring at the Kitsune Shadow.

"Heh, you couldn't even hit me if you tried Bubblegum, You don't even look like a competent ninja, rather a shallow bitch who only cares about her looks," Naruto smirked under his mask.

"...You bastard!" Sakura screeched, her face turning red.

Naruto ignored her, he really didn't want to start cursing at her, if he did, it would probably take a few days before he finished. Instead, he turned towards Sasuke, who was still standing there looking straight at him.

"What are you staring at?" came a cold, smooth voice.

"Your the one staring at me," Naruto answered.

"Fight me," Sasuke said, "I want to see how strong you really are."

"Sasuke-kun! Don't!" Sakura yelled.

"How much damage can you even do, pretty-boy? I bet you spend more time on your hair than you do training," Naruto taunted.

"Chidori," Sasuke said smoothly, ignoring the man's insult, as he launched himself at Naruto, blue lightning crackling in his hand.

Without even thinking, Naruto summoned the Rasengan and attacked. As the Chidori and Rasengan hit, it caused an enormous explosion, demolishing some of the lush forest. Sasuke flew back into a tree with a dull, snapping noise. Naruto didn't even fly back at all, he jumped backwards and landed on the floor gracefully. _'Fuck. Why did I do that? Now their going to know for sure! I'm done,'_ Naruto inwardly panicked. It just felt so natural to counter the Chidori with Rasengan. It was always what he and Sasuke had done in the past whenever they fought, whether it be real or fake.

Kakashi and Sakura both stared at Naruto with shock evident on both their faces. Sasuke was shocked as well, although he didn't show it. He struggled to get up, cracking his back bones into place.

"H-how did y-you learn the Rasengan?" Sakura asked, recovering from her shock. Only Naruto, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Konohamaru, and the Fourth Hokage knew how to use that jutsu, and three out of the five are deceased.

_'Think of a story... Think of a story...'_ Naruto frantically thought. An idea popped into his head and he smirked.

"I copied it from some kid a while back. It looked like a pretty nice jutsu that I could use," Naruto lied.

At that Sakura perked up, "How did he look like?" she asked.

"Some blonde idiot wearing orange," he answered.

"Where did you find him?" Sakura questioned.

"In this forest place, I can't remember. The kid pissed me off so bad. He was so loud and obnoxious and he was always grinning. I'm glad I got rid of that annoyance," Naruto lied. He wanted to see the reaction that Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke would have. He bet that they would pat him on the back and thank him for getting rid of Naruto Uzumaki, only he didn't. He was Naruto Uzumaki.

He did not get the reaction that he thought he would. Sakura looked murderous, Kakashi looked angry yet guilty, and Sasuke looked shocked, his eyes widening and his mouth opening a bit.

"You... You're the one who killed Naruto?" Sakura whispered, as she clenched her fists and started to shake.

"Yeah, what about it? He couldn't even fight back, what a weakling. I really wonder how he managed to defeat Pain. The idiot was a joke. An incompetent shinobi," Naruto answered smugly. He did believe that he was weak, that he was stupid. That's the reason why he tried to change his image, the last two years.

At that, Sakura and Sasuke attacked. Naruto narrowed his eyes and jumped out of the way, milliseconds before they hit the ground.

"You killed Naruto?! What did the dobe ever do to you?!" Sasuke yelled, his fists clenched tightly.

Naruto's eyes widened before he narrowed them and answered, "He was just annoying and I don't like annoying people."

"That's not a good reason to kill someone!" Sakura screamed.

"It's good enough for me," Naruto replied calmly, although, he was feeling the exact opposite on the inside.

"Stop fighting," Kakashi commanded, even though, he wanted to pummel the assassin himself.

"But-" Sakura glared at Kakashi.

"He killed Naruto," Sasuke said darkly.

"I know he did, but we need him in order to save Konoha," Kakashi argued.

"Why do you guys even care so much? The kid didn't even care much when I was torturing him to death," Naruto drawled.

"Torturing?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"You tortured him?" Sasuke asked, clenching his fists. How dare he kill Naruto simply because he was bored? What kind of person does that? Sasuke didn't want to know what the Kitsune Shadow had done to Naruto before killing him. _'Disgusting, sadistic bastard.'_

"Yeah I tortured him, but he barely reacted to what I did. Oh and right before I killed him, he told me that he wasn't afraid of pain because he's used to it. He said that everyone he had ever trusted had betrayed him and that he didn't have anything to live for anyways," Naruto went on. "Anyways, isn't it time to go back to Konoha?"

"... Your right," Kakashi answered, trying for a smile, _'Disgusting bastard.'_ "Let's go." He then headed towards Konoha, motioning for the others to follow.

"Hn." Sasuke followed after Kakashi. _'Does Naruto really feel that way about his life and his friends?'_

"..." Sakura glared at Naruto and followed after the other two. _'Is he lying? ...Would Naruto really say that?'_

_'They reacted like they actually cared about me... I don't understand,'_ Naruto thought as he jumped through the trees; Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke in front of him.

_**'They do care.'**_

_'Maybe they're just acting like they care so they don't seem like sadistic bastards,'_ Naruto thought.

_**'Stop denying it.'**_

_'I'm not...'_

_**'Yes you are.'**_

_'...I don't care what you think stupid fox.'_

_**'...Moron.'**_

Naruto didn't answer the fox. He didn't have time to when he realized he was the gates of Konoha, his mouth went dry and he stopped walking. He scolded himself for being so weak and walked in after his former team mates.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Tsunade had fell asleep on her desk and would have continued sleeping if someone hadn't knocked on her door. She woke up abruptly and rubbed at her eyes. "Who's there?" she asked, yawning.

"It's Kakashi, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied.

"Kakashi... Oh! Right, come in," Tsunade answered, cursing herself for almost falling asleep.

"We found the man that the Kazekage had sent," Kakashi said as he stepped into the room, Sakura and Sasuke following him. They both looked shaken and angry.

Tsunade blinked, was the Uchiha really showing some actual emotion? Well that's a change. She stared at the man in black with a fox mask on who had slowly walked in after the others.

"So you're the Kitsune Shadow?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Naruto replied curtly. _'The old hag...'_

"You are to stay in Konoha until Orochimaru attacks. However long that may be, I don't know, but you are to stay in this village to protect everyone. I as well as many others, have heard about your amazing strength. With you on our side, we may win, otherwise, we don't stand a chance," Tsunade said smoothly.

"Where do I stay?" Naruto asked without a trace of emotion.

_'I did not think of that... There's no empty houses in Konoha... Only one, but...'_

"Since, Konoha is full, you will be staying in an empty apartment," Tsunade answered.

"An empty apartment? The only empty apartment is Naruto's!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes going wide. Was Tsunade really going to let this murderer stay in the home of someone he murdered? "No! Don't let a monster like him stay in Naruto's apartment! There must be somewhere else he can stay," Sakura cried.

Naruto felt himself get angry when Sakura called him a monster, even in disguise. _'...Not like I've been nice to her when I first saw her. Why am I so bothered that she insulted me? It's been two years. I shouldn't care.'_

"There's no other empty place to live in Konoha, unless, he lives in the Uchiha complex with Sasuke," Tsunade answered.

"I rather not live with someone like him," Sasuke said, glaring.

A strange feeling of sadness washed through Naruto, he ignored it. _'Why do I care so much? Just... Why? Have I not moved on? Ugh, I'm such a wimp,'_ he thought, clenching his fists.

"It's either Naruto's apartment or the Uchiha Complex," Tsunade growled, "Make up your mind."

"He won't stay in Naruto's apartment! I won't let him go anywhere near it!" Sakura yelled.

_'Can she just shut up for a second?! I swear,'_ Naruto thought bitterly.

"I don't give a fuck where I stay, just as long as I'm out on the streets," Naruto growled, annoyed. He really wanted to go visit his old apartment and to maybe live there for a few. He missed that place a lot.

"Uchiha complex it is," Tsunade said, "Now off you go, I need to talk to Kakashi for a second."

Sasuke's eyes twitched. He was about to curse at everyone and everything but, he held it in and walked off.

Sakura followed him, glancing uncertainly at Tsunade and Kakashi.

Naruto was the last to go out. He really didn't want to go and live with Sasuke. He didn't even want to be near Sasuke. _'Fuck. I really want to leave now... But, I can't, I can't let Konoha get destroyed. I won't let my loved ones sacrifices be in vain. I can't.'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Orochimaru-sama, are feeling alright?" Kabuto asked. Orochimaru was still really weak from being dead for so long. It would take some time until he would be back to his original strength. Atleast, they could use the time to plan how to get Sasuke back.

"No, I don't feel alright. I won't feel alright until I get Sasuke-kun's body," Orochimaru hissed and coughed. Coughed very loudly.

"We will Orochimaru-sama, we will very soon," Kabuto smiled rather deviously.

**End of Chapter 3**

**Author Notes- **The third chapter is finally done~ ^^ It's rather short though. Dx Feel free to review~ I do wonder... Should I continue this fic or should I create another one where it's in a High School? Cliche, I know, but it's easy to write. xD


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process? Main Pairing – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – T. It might change, I'm not sure. xD

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **Another chapter finished~ I hope you guys enjoy. I'm probably going to start updating weekly after this chapter. So much homework... Well feel free to review~ Oh and should I keep this at T rating or make it M? (Some steamy scenes between Sasuke and Naruto c:)

**Chapter 4- Konoha**

As soon as Sakura, Sasuke, and the Kitsune Shadow left, Tsunade slumped back into her chair and said, "Kakashi, do you think, that man is trustworthy?"

Kakashi's answer was immediate, "No, he isn't." '_He killed Naruto...'_

"Hm, why not?" Tsunade asked.

_'Should I tell her?'_ Kakashi thought, wondering how Tsunade would react. _'Well it's better to just tell her the truth. No point in hiding it.'_

"He's the one who killed Naruto," Kakashi admitted.

"He... He's the one that killed Naruto?" Tsunade asked, confused. She hoped that it wasn't true.

"Yea, he even admitted it himself when we first met him. He's also capable of using the Rasengan," Kakashi answered, calmly.

"...How does he know the Rasengan? Only two people alive know that jutsu, and one of them is you."

"Sakura asked him how he knew it. He answered that he copied it from Naruto. He also said that he killed Naruto, because he thought Naruto was annoying, but not after torturing him. He didn't specify how though."

_'How can the Kazekage trust this sort of man? I don't get it... Unless Gaara is allied with Sound. That makes no sense though, why would he be?'_ Tsunade thought furiously. _'Naruto...'_ She felt tears slide down her cheeks at the thought of Naruto. He was like the son that she never had.

"Go get the Kitsune Shadow, I want to talk to him. Preferably alone," Tsunade commanded, her voice wavering a little, as she wiped off her tears.

"Alright," Kakashi answered and walked out the door.

_'I shouldn't have said that,'_ Kakashi thought regrettably.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

The walk to the Uchiha complex was really quiet. No one said a thing. Sakura was busy thinking of ways on how to get revenge on the assassin, while Sasuke was thinking about the day he had heard about Naruto's leaving of the village. Naruto, himself, was trying hard not to make a beeline towards Ichiraku's Ramen.

**-Flashback-**

_Sasuke had finally recovered from the injuries that Naruto had inflicted on him and was ready to get out of the hospital, only he couldn't, because shackles were bound on his wrists and legs. They restricted Chakra use as well, oh joy._

_Sasuke just sat there, staring at the white sheets of his bed, when the nurse looking after him walked in with a certain pink haired girl holding a bouquet of white flowers._

_'Oh great, not her.'_

_"This girl here was looking to visit you, I hope you don't mind," the nurse said smugly as she walked out of the room. She didn't like the Uchiha one bit._

_"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said cheerfully. She looked horrible, bags under her eyes, her hair disheveled, and her clothing wrinkled. "It's nice to see you..." She placed the flowers she was holding on Sasuke's bed._

_"Where's Naruto?" was Sasuke's immediate response to her. Sasuke wanted to see the dobe and strangle him to death for bringing him back to the village he despised._

_Sakura's eyes started to water at the mention of her used to be best friend's name. She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks._

_"Well, where is he?" Sasuke demanded, getting impatient._

_"He... He's out of Konoha," she answered._

_"Out of Konoha? Why?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes at her._

_She gulped, and answered, "He... Left Konoha, a few days ago."_

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed even more and asked, "Why'd he leave?"_

_"...Bye Sasuke-kun," Sakura said quickly, not looking at Sasuke. She didn't want to look at him, he had hurt Naruto a lot in the past, not caring a bit. The bastard only wanted revenge. Sakura didn't even know why she wanted to visit him. Maybe it was because she still had a crush on him. Afterall, he was gorgeous, but he was so full of hate. 'I... I just don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to lose anyone that I care about.'_

_"Answer me Haruno!" Sasuke roared.  
_

_With that, Sakura walked out of the room._

_Sasuke was left wondering what had happened. 'Naruto left Konoha? But why?'_

**-End Flashback-**

"Kitsune, the Hokage wants to see you," came a bored voice.

"Why?" Naruto asked, nothing bothering to turn around.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked confused.

"It's about what you had done to a certain Konoha nin. The Hokage wants to hear the story for herself," Kakashi answered.

_'What I did to a certain Konoha nin? Wait... It's about me "killing" Naruto?'_

"Fine, I'll go talk to the Hokage," Naruto replied, walking towards the Hokage tower. _'Kakashi told her I bet,'_ Naruto felt anger burn within him, but he realized that there was no point in being angry._ 'He was going to tell her anyways. They were probably talking about me being trustworthy or not.'_

Sasuke just kept walking back to his home, with Sakura following after him looking worried.

"Do you need me to show you the way?" Kakashi asked.

"No," was the curt reply.

"Well okay then," Kakashi answered watching Naruto walk out of sight. He pulled out his orange book and started reading it.

"Kakashi-sensei, come with us." Sakura yelled.

"Hm?" Kakashi looked back and walked towards Sakura and Sasuke.

"We need to talk, at the Uchiha Complex," Sakura answered.

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke and Sasuke nodded.

"Alright."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

As Naruto walked through Konoha, horrible memories popped up. Memories of him getting thrown out of a shop he was looking through, the villagers talking about him, everyone glaring at him for a reason he didn't know, and memories of betrayal. Just walking through Konoha made him want to break down and cry like a little baby. It hurt a lot, Naruto just didn't show it. He hadn't showed much emotion since he had left. He hasn't smiled a genuine smile in the two years that he had been gone. Occasional smirks, but that was it. Naruto had also realized how cruel he really was, he didn't feel anything when he took someone's life. All he felt was hate, bitter hate. It took over him, all that was left of him was hate, and he didn't like it one bit. He wished that he could still be the stupid idiot that he was years ago. But... It's too late to go back.

Many villagers stared at him as he walked through the streets of Konoha. Some were thinking, who was this man? Is he dangerous? They started to whisper among one another.

Naruto clenched his fists and desperately wanted to kill everyone talking about him, but he restrained himself. Why couldn't the damn civilians at least try to be secretive? They were never good at that.

After what felt like forever, Naruto reached the Hokage Tower. The two guards stationed there let him in, knowing that the Hokage had asked for him. He walked up to Tsunade's office, looking down on the floor. He went to open the door and found that it was unlocked. Walking in, he found Tsunade angry and crying.

"You... Did you really kill Naruto?!" she demanded, her eyes puffy and red.

_'Was she crying? Why would she? I don't get it...'_

"What is Naruto to you?" Naruto asked. He wanted to know if Tsunade really cared about him or not.

"Answer my question!" Tsunade demanded, a vein popping out of her forehead.

"Fucking old hag," Naruto muttered.

"What did you say?" she screamed, her voice like a banshee on drugs. She stood up and walked towards him, her fists clenched. She grabbed Naruto's shirt and glared at him.

"I said, your a fucking old hag, get your hearing right," he snapped, unafraid of Tsunade. He was staring at her, unimpressed, not that she could see under his mask.

Before she knew what she was doing, she punched him, hard. She felt his ribs get crushed and his internal organs burst. _'Oh shit.'_

"Look, I don't want to fight, not that you could do much damage. Just answer my question and I'll answer your's," a voice behind her drawled in an amused tone.

"What?" she asked as her eyes widening. The man she punched, disappeared in a puff of smoke. _'A clone. I should have known,'_ Tsunade thought.

"What is Naruto to you? I'll answer your question once you answer mine," Naruto replied walking in front of her.

"...Why do you want to know?" Tsunade questioned.

"I just want to know about the guy that I killed," Naruto replied, crossing his arms._ 'What does she really think of me?'_

"...I consider him part of my family. He's like the son that I never had, and I love him. He may be a stupid brat, but he's loyal and he has a big heart," Tsunade blurted out, looking down at the floor. She looked up and said in a stony tone, "Why... Why did you have to kill him?"

_'Should I tell her? I don't think she's lying. But why did she say those words back then? Just why?'_ Naruto thought. '_I'll just tell her... I need her trust or else she'll kick me out of Konoha. But... How will she react when she knows that I've been alive? Ugh, I don't know.'_

_**'Tell her.'**_

_'...Is it really such a good idea?'_

"Are you are going to answer my question or are you going to stand there all day?" Tsunade demanded, her eyes shining with tears. She couldn't cry now.

"Naruto isn't dead," Naruto blurted out before he could stop himself.

Tsunade had a confused expression on her face. _'Naruto isn't dead... No he is, I saw his corpse...'_

"Your lying, Naruto is dead. I saw his body for myself and you admitted that you had killed him. You also admitted that you tortured him before death," Tsunade replied.

"Kakashi told you that?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah."

Naruto walked towards the door and locked it shut. Tsunade looked at him confused, "Why are you locking the doors? You... You're not going to kill me are you?" She wasn't afraid of that, knowing that she was strong enough to fight the man, but it still worried her to some extent.

"No, I'm just making sure no one could see or hear us," Naruto replied, walking towards the window to close it.

"No one can hear us? Hear us doing what?" Tsunade questioned, worry evident in her voice. _'Is he going to rape me?'_

Naruto rolled his eyes under the mask and said, as if reading Tsunade's mind, "No I'm not going to rape you, that's just gross. I don't go for women older than I am."

"Then what is it?" Tsunade asked warily, a bit offended that he implied that she was old. It was true though, not that she would admit it.

Naruto, after making sure that all the windows and doors were locked, reached up to pull down his mask.

_'Is he going to take off his mask? Wait... Why would he?'_

Tsunade's eyes widened when she saw the face under the mask. It was Naruto, but at the same time it wasn't Naruto. His hair was still spiky and blonde, it looked a bit longer, more like Minato's hairstyle. He still had smooth, tan skin. He still had the three whisker lines on his cheeks. But, his eyes, were narrowed and so full of hate and anger. They were still bright blue, but it was dulled and more dead looking.

"N-Naruto?" Tsunade stuttered, her brown eyes wide and her entire body shaking.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sasuke's home was really bland, but perfect at the same time. There was no decoration on the walls, there was nothing but the furniture that every normal house should have. It was also really dark and cold, just like him. But, everything was in place, and there wasn't a speck of dust to be seen.

_'Atleast there's a TV,'_ Sakura thought as she looked around. "Uhm, nice home Sasuke-kun! It's really well decorated..."

Kakashi just rolled his eyes and continued reading his book. It was getting to a really good part.

"Is this just an excuse so you can enter my home?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"No, I just want us to talk about the Kitsune Shadow man," Sakura answered, crossing her arms.

"What about him?" Sasuke asked, as he walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

"He killed Naruto! I don't want him anywhere near Konoha!" Sakura exclaimed, walking over and slamming her hands on the table.

"Lady Hokage is talking to him right now. Who knows, maybe she won't want him to stay," Kakashi drawled, looking up from his book with bored eyes.

"He's with the Hokage? What if he tries to kill her?" Sakura asked, freaking out on the inside.

"I doubt he will, if anything, she'll be the one killing him," Kakashi answered.

"It doesn't even matter if he killed Naruto. You heard what the man had told us about Naruto, that Naruto didn't even want to live anymore," Sasuke snapped.

"He could be lying for all we know! There's no way Naruto would say that," Sakura cried.

"You never know... Afterall, Naruto loved you and look at where that led him. He left Konoha after you told him that you hated him, I'm guessing he didn't want to live with you thinking of him as a monster," Sasuke replied, staring at the table.

"Sasuke, you shouldn't say that," Kakashi scolded, still reading his perverted book.

"Hn. Just telling the truth," Sasuke answered.

"It is true... I know it's all my fault and I do regret it," Sakura murmured, "You don't need to bring it up..."

"Whatever, you guys can stay as long as you want. I'm going to sleep," Sasuke drawled, walking upstairs to his room.

"...Well I guess I'll be going then. Bye Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said in a soft voice. She then walked out the door.

"Bye Sakura," Kakashi said, still reading his book, not bothering to move.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"How... how can that be? Naruto, your supposed to be dead!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"I faked my death. I really didn't want to be found," Naruto answered.

"But... I... Naruto, you... Why did you have to leave Konoha?"

Naruto stared at Tsunade, annoyed. "Well, if you don't know already. Sakura was being a bitch and so were you so I left. End of story."

Tsunade stared at Naruto with guilt and regret. "I'm sorry for what I had said... I wasn't in the right mind. I was just really frustrated and on top of that I was drunk from drinking so much... I never wanted to hurt you. I should have known to shut my mouth and I'm sure Sakura feels the same way about this. She didn't mean what she had said either."

"I believe you more than I believe Haruno. I sort of understand how frustrated you must have been, after all, I almost killed the last living Uchiha. The stupid elders would have probably dropped dead if they heard that Sasuke had gotten a scratch on him," Naruto stated with bitterness in his voice.

"Naruto..."

Naruto looked up and tried for a smile, it didn't look like one at all, rather a grimace. He looked down and muttered, "I believe you Granny, but I... I don't think I can bring myself to trust Sakura or Sasuke. They have always made my life difficult and I do wish that I never met either of them." Naruto clenched his fists and said, "It would have been better if I just wasn't alive. I'm a worthless human being."

"How can you say that?! Naruto, you... Your the heart of Konoha! Your also the Hero of the Village. The villagers that mistreated as a kid now don't think of you as a demon. They think of you as a hero. They admire your strength, your courage, and your big heart. You can change anyone and that's only something you possess. How dare you think that your worthless?!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"...I don't know about that anymore... " Naruto murmured. "Oh and one last thing, don't tell anyone who I am, I don't want them to know that I'm not dead. Well, I'll be going. I don't want to leave Ice Princess waiting."

"Wait, are you staying Konoha after you save it?"

"How do you know that I'm going to save it? And... Honestly, I don't think I will."

"Naruto... I'm going to make you stay if it's the last thing I do."

"...You can try," Naruto muttered, putting his mask back on.

"Wait!" Tsunade cried and walked up to Naruto. Before he knew it, he was pulled in a tight embrace. His eyes widened and he stiffened. "I'm sorry Naruto and I promise that I won't tell anyone who you are until you decide to yourself..." Tsunade murmured.

Naruto pulled out of the embrace and quickly left the room, leaving Tsunade angry and confused.

-**o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sasuke lied down on his bed and thought about his life. His life majorly sucked. Everything about his life was horrible, nothing in his life was worth living for. His entire clan was massacred when he was a child, his brother being the one who did it. His life in Konoha after the massacre was even worse, girls flung themselves at him, and everyone didn't see Sasuke as himself, only as the last Uchiha or "the really hot, mysterious guy". After getting revenge on his brother, he found out that Itachi did it because the village wanted him to stop a war even before it started and that the only reason Sasuke survived was because Itachi loved him to much to kill him. He had been lied to all his life and vowed revenge on the village that he was born in. Now, he was stuck in the very village that he despised; he desperately wanted to leave but something was holding him back, Naruto. Naruto wouldn't want to see Konoha get destroyed.

Naruto... The idiot that never gave up on believing Sasuke. The idiot that saw him for who he really is, not as the last Uchiha. The idiot who had a big heart and could see the positive side in anyone. The idiot who always had a smile on his face even when he's in pain. The idiot that isn't alive anyone. And, the idiot that Sasuke has complicated feelings for.

_'Naruto... I don't know whether I love you or I hate you. I love you for always being there for me, for being a real friend to me, but I hate you for forcefully dragging me back to this hellhole... Ugh, this is all so confusing. Fuck this, I'm going to sleep,'_ Sasuke thought.

Sasuke closed his eyes and forced himself to stop thinking about Naruto and to just go to sleep. He managed to fall asleep for about a few minutes before he heard someone knock on his door. _'Fuck who is it?'_

**_End of Chapter 4_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. Mature scenes along the way~ Not yet though.

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **A new chapter~ Thanks guys for all the reviews so far xD They make me happy. Alright, so do you guys think I should make the ending of this story a happy ending, sad ending, or a neutral ending?

**Chapter 5 - Cursed**

Naruto ran out of the Hokage's tower as fast as he could; he didn't want Tsunade to know that he had started crying. _'I'm such a wimp. It's been two years and the second I meet someone that I care about, I break down like a little girl. I really need to pull myself together. Don't show any emotion at all.'_

He stopped running and just stood there staring at the dirt floor. He really didn't want to go to Sasuke's home and to see the Ice Bastard's face. It brought about strange emotions and made his heart beat weirdly. _'Stupid bastard with his stupid duckbutt hair.'_

After a few minutes, Naruto decided to go visit his old apartment. He stared up at the sky and estimated that it was around 6:30 PM. _'Might as well get going before it gets dark.'_

He gracefully lept onto the roof of an old building and decided to move that way instead of walking on the ground. He really didn't want to bump into someone he knew, especially Neji or Hinata. They could both use the Byakugan and figure out who he is if he wasn't careful with his chakra. That was the last thing on his list.

After jumping from roof to roof for a while, he finally found the old, cracked building where his old apartment was located. He quickly jumped onto the dusty balcony and tried to open the door only to find that it was locked._ 'I should have a spare key somewhere around here...'_

He frantically looked around, hoping to not be seen, and eventually found the item that he was looking for; it was under a tile on the roof of the building.

Naruto unlocked the door and entered the room, looking outside for a second to see if anyone saw him. He was immediately greeted with a blast of dust and cobwebs. He coughed, choking on the dust, and walked around the deserted room. Everything was untouched, not a thing out of place.

Naruto walked over to his bed stand and found the old, crumpled picture of Team Seven. He picked it up in a dazed fashion and stared at it, taking in the picture. Sasuke was on the left scowling at the camera, Sakura was in the middle smiling, Kakashi was in the back smiling with his hands on both Naruto's head and Sasuke's head, and Naruto, himself, was glaring at Sasuke.

Naruto found himself getting angry at the picture. He desperately wished that his life could be like that but he knew that he had blew it once he had left Konoha. Out of a fit of rage, Naruto crumpled the picture and threw it on the floor. He shouldn't care that he had left Konoha, he shouldn't care at all. But, he did. He had a sudden urge to pick up the picture and keep it in his pocket but he convinced himself that the picture wasn't worth it.

Naruto slowly walked over to the mirror and took off his mask, staring at his reflection with little to no emotion. He took in what he saw and he didn't like it one bit. It was still him, but at the same time it wasn't him. The old him was someone you could read like an open book, someone who wore their emotions on their sleeves. The new him was the complete opposite, hiding his real emotions and acting like nothing was wrong. He tore his gaze off of the mirror and went into his closet. He wanted to put on his old outfit, just one more time.

He pulled out one of the dusty, orange track suits and stripped himself down to boxers. He then pulled it on, surprised that it still fit him pretty well. He then looked at the mirror again. _'Like the old times...'_

But... It was all wrong, when he looked in the mirror, he didn't see himself in the past, instead, he saw a monster. There was just no way. There was just no way that he could ever be the same Naruto that he was when he had left Konoha. There was just too great a difference.

Naruto couldn't stand being in this room anymore. He quickly stripped out of the orange outfit and put on his usual, black outfit. He quickly pulled on his mask and left his old apartment, slamming the door behind him.

_'Guess I'm heading to Sasuke's early then...'_

He walked as slowly as he could, just to waste time. Naruto really wasn't looking forward to living with Sasuke. He vaguely wondered if Sasuke was dating Sakura, they seemed a lot closer than before. _'Why do I care?!'_ Naruto scolded himself. _'They're perfect for each other. Sasuke's a whiny, cold bastard and Sakura's a useless, cruel bitch. Together they can make little, bitch babies and revive the Uchiha clan.' _He cringed at that thought._  
_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

_'I just fell asleep... Fuck,'_ Sasuke thought annoyed. He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and walked out of his room to go open the door.

He opened the door, expecting the Kitsune Shadow to be there, but instead there stood Kabuto.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and went to slam the door but before he could, Kabuto had already entered his home.

"I just wanted to talk," Kabuto said, raising his arms up to show that he wasn't going to fight.

"What do you want?" Sasuke hissed, glaring at Kabuto.

"Come to Sound and join in the destruction of Konoha," Kabuto answered. "I know that you still hate this village so why stay here? Serve Orochimaru again. He'll be able to make you even stronger than before."

_'More like try to take over my body,'_ Sasuke thought inwardly rolling his eyes. "No thanks," Sasuke replied, smoothly. "I don't care for Orochimaru anymore, if anything I'll help Konoha defeat him."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes and hissed, "You'll regret this Sasuke-kun."

"What's your point in telling me this, Kabuto?" Sasuke snarled.

"I just figured that you would want to leave Konoha, I guess not. Oh, by the way, tell the Hokage that her spies have been killed," Kabuto said with a smirk.

Sasuke just glared at Kabuto. He would have attacked, but he really didn't want to mess up his home.

"Bye Sasuke-kun. Just remember this, Konoha will fall. You can either be the one destroying or the one being destroyed, choose carefully," and with that Kabuto used the body flame technique and disappeared.

"Bastard, I'll kill you for sure," Sasuke hissed, feeling a headache coming on. He slowly walked back up to his perfectly organized, yet strangely cold room. He just wanted to sleep.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Naruto felt Sasuke's chakra as well as Kabuto's chakra when he neared the Uchiha complex. _'Why the fuck is Kabuto in Sasuke's home? Unless... Sasuke's working for Orochimaru. But... Why would he? Didn't he kill the stupid snake?'_ Naruto thought with suspicion._ 'I'll keep a close watch on the bastard.'_

Kabuto's chakra just disappeared in a second. At that, Naruto was worried, he couldn't feel Sasuke's chakra either. Did the Uchiha leave? Without a thought, Naruto dashed into the Uchiha complex and searched the entire bottom floor. Sasuke was no where to be seen. Naruto was really starting to get worried, not that he would admit that.

He ran upstairs and entered the nearest room. He felt relieved when he saw that Sasuke in the room, asleep on his bed in a rather stiff position. '_So the Uchiha is good at hiding his chakra,' _Naruto thought amusement_._

"You woke me up with your loud footsteps," Sasuke drawled, not moving from his position on the bed.

"Deal with it," Naruto snapped. The bastard hadn't changed at all, figures.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"Whatever. Where do I stay?" Naruto asked, looking around the room and the rest of the house. It was rather dull and scary looking, like a haunted house that no one's lived in for years. The walls were dark grey and so was everything else in the house. Who decorated this place? Oh, right.

"Hn, go to any random room. I don't care. Just don't fuck anything up," Sasuke answered.

"So I can go sleep in Itachi's room, or maybe your parent's room?" Naruto questioned. He just couldn't help it. He knew how Sasuke felt about his family. It was a touchy matter that Sasuke never talked about.

Sasuke felt his calm demeanor melt when Naruto said that. Was the man trying to make an enemy out of him?_ 'First he fucking killed Naruto and now he's_ _basically insulting my entire family. Fucking bastard,'_ Sasuke thought with rage.

"I don't fucking care. Go to any room you like, preferably away from mine," Sasuke growled out.

Under the Kitsune mask, Naruto smirked. He was still able the push Sasuke's buttons even though its been a few years.

"Who stuck a stick up your ass? Oh, by the way, you really should redecorate this place. It's fucking depressing, like you," Naruto sneered and walked out of the room.

Sasuke had never felt so insulted in his life but, in a way, it made him feel good. It was like talking to Naruto again where all they did was insult each other. Sasuke smiled at memories of Team Seven, but it immediately turned into a scowl. Naruto was gone because of that man. Then why did he feel like he was talking to Naruto again?

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Kabuto returned to Sound with a smug look on his pale face. _'Sasuke's sharingan will be Orochimaru's.' _He walked through the dark, lonely halls and stopped when he reached Orochimaru's room. Orochimaru was still in bed, his body still healing.

"Your back Kabuto. Did you get Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked in a scratchy voice when he noticed Kabuto had came back.

"Looks like Sasuke-kun is fighting for Konoha," Kabuto replied.

"He's on Konoha's side now? Well that's unexpected..." Orochimaru coughed out.

"But, don't worry. We'll get his sharingan for sure," Kabuto sneered.

"How so?" Orochimaru asked, confused.

"I planted a snake in Sasuke-kun's home, it should bite him and eventually drain his chakra to the point that he won't be able to fight," Kabuto answered.

"Not a bad idea, unless, he finds the snake and kills it."

"It'll bite him when he's asleep."

"Are you able to control the snake?"

"Yes," Kabuto replied and closed his eyes focusing his chakra to the snake. It was in a room with a man dressed in black. Was that an ANBU? No, it couldn't be. The chakra felt familiar though, it felt like the 9 tailed fox. Naruto Uzumaki? Didn't that moron die years back?

Kabuto opened his eyes to see Orochimaru looking at him expectantly, "It seems Naruto Uzumaki is alive."

Orochimaru's yellow eyes widened and he replied, "How is that possible? Naruto-kun was killed two years ago."

Kabuto frowned at that but it soon morphed into a smirk, "...I got an idea, Orochimaru-sama. We can harness both the Sharingan's power as well as the Kyuubi's power."

Orochimaru stared at Kabuto with confusion and answered, "Do you mean giving the curse mark to Naruto-kun?"

Kabuto smirked and replied, "Exactly. I'll give the curse mark to Naruto-kun. With him, there's a chance that we won't be able to destory Konoha. With him out of the war, we'll be able to get Sasuke-kun's sharingan for sure."

Orochimaru sneered and replied, "Not bad... Not bad at all."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Naruto lay down on a bed in one of the empty bedrooms, the one farthest from Sasuke's room, and realized just how tired he really was. All he wanted to do was sleep but at the same time he didn't want to. He really didn't feel safe in this room, it was like something was watching him. _'Am I really that paranoid? I doubt that there's anything living in this house except the teme, if he even counts as a living thing. He acts more like a stupid rock,'_ Naruto thought, rolling his eyes.

He shifted his position on the bed thinking about how hard and cold the beds were. _'I guess I know why Sasuke's cranky all the time.'_ Naruto closed his eyes and tried his hardest to go to sleep. He wanted to avoid the teme as long as he could and what better way to do it than sleep?

The mask on his face was really bothering him. Naruto wanted to rip it off and sleep without it but he knew that if he did, it would be the end of him. _'Ugh...'_

_**'Just henge you moron,'** _the beast inside him roared.

_'Oh yeah...' _

Naruto stepped out of bed and performed the hand seals for the transformation techinque. He was going for an older, more masculine look. "Henge no Jutsu," Naruto said, mentally slapping himself in the face when he realized he had said it aloud. His usual spiky, blonde hair turned slightly longer and became pitch black. His brilliant, blue eyes turned into a blood red color. Naruto's smooth, tan skin turned a few shades lighter, almost as pale as Sasuke's skin. The black, whisker marks on his face disappeared completely. His body also changed, his original lean build was replaced by a more muscular and toned one. Perfect.

Naruto took off his fox mask sighing as he felt the fresh air enter his lungs. Stripping off all his clothes to the point that he only had pants on, he walked over to the mirror and looked over himself. Personally, he thought his henge looked pretty hot.

**_'Stop looking yourself over like you want to fuck yourself.'_**

_'I'll do whatever I want stupid fox,' _Naruto thought as he walked over to the bed, ready to go to sleep.

**_'Night, baka.'_**

_'Night, stupid fox,'_ Naruto thought as he lay down on the small, cold bed. He closed his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep.

-**o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Is Naruto-kun asleep yet?" Orochimaru asked, impatiently. Many hours have passed since Kabuto had thought of the plan of getting Naruto out of the way. He could almost taste the power of the Kyuubi and the Sharingan.

"Let me check," Kabuto replied, closing his eyes and concentrating his chakra to the snake. It was currently in the same room as Naruto. Kabuto willed it to go fowards to see if Uzumaki was asleep or awake. Much to his surprise, Naruto was sound asleep. He was on his side, breathing slowly, his face showing a peaceful expression only it didn't look like him. _'A henge. So he's hiding his identity from everyone, I'm guessing,'_ Kabuto thought with amusement.

The snake slithered across the cold, wooden floor until it reached the bed. Jumping onto the bed, it slithered right on to the sleeping form of Naruto. He had no shirt on. Perfect. Without hesitation, the snake sunk it's fangs into Naruto's neck forming the curse seal, three thin, curved lines forming a triangular shape.

Kabuto opened his eyes again and smirked, "Done."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

A sharp pain in his neck registered in Naruto's mind. He sat up quickly and grabbed his neck, wincing at the pain. Looking around, he spotted a thin, silver snake on his bed. That snake fucking bit him. Without hesitation, Naruto grabbed the snake with his free hand and snapped its head off. He threw it on the floor watching it thrash around until it went still.

Still holding his neck, Naruto stood up and immediately felt dizzy. His body fell to the floor with a slam. _'Why the fuck would there be a snake here?'_ Naruto thought, ignoring the pain searing through his body. He tried standing up again and steadied himself using the edge of the bed.

_'...Sasuke,' _Naruto thought. Of course that bastard would try to kill him.

**End of Chapter 5**

**Author Notes- **Naruto in the henge looks like Memna just without the whiskers of course. Memna = Alternate Naruto from Naruto movie 6 - Road to Ninja. If you haven't seen it then you should! It's such an awesome movie. Sasuke and Hinata were the best. xD


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process? Main Pairing – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read! (Not yet though)

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **New chapter~ I hope you guys enjoy it! :D

**Chapter 6 - Opinions**

_Sasuke woke up to someone's obnoxiously loud voice calling him. "Sasuke! Sasuke!"_

_Where was he? Sasuke cautiously looked around, taking in the sight around him. It was around evening time, the sky was a hazy orange color. He heard the roar of a waterfall, water tumbling down a ragged cliff. There were two big stone statues on either side of him, a damaged statue of Madara Uchiha, the former leader of the Uchiha clan, and a worn statue of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. In other words, he was at the Valley of the End. Straight across from where Sasuke stood was a mutilated, bloody Naruto._

_"Sasuke... Why? Why did you have to leave Konoha? Why did you have to leave me?" Naruto sniffed, tears in his big blue eyes. His entire body was bloodied, his limbs bent at angles that weren't natural, with deep, ragged cuts littering his lithe body. His usual orange outfit was stained red from all the blood. How was he able to stay alive from all that?_

_Sasuke stood there, stiff as a board. Naruto was right in front of him. Naruto was alive. How is that possible? "Dobe... I..." His voice froze._

_"You bastard... I fucking hate you," Naruto screamed, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. His tears were turned bright red from all the blood on his face. Naruto pulled out a kunai and without looking at the Uchiha, threw it. It flew at unnatural speeds which was surprising considering that Naruto's arms didn't exactly look like they were attached to his body. _

_Sasuke tried to jump out of the way, but he couldn't move at all, like his feet were glued to the rocky floor. What the...? The next thing he felt was pain, pure raw pain at his throat. He looked down to see the knife stuck firmly at his throat and thick, red blood flowing down his body._

"Argh..." Sasuke moaned out.

"You fucking slimy bastard," a deep voice hissed. "Did you honestly think that you could kill me?"

Sasuke didn't answer, his eyes remained closed. He didn't even move an inch. It pissed Naruto off to no end, getting ignored like that.

"Answer me," Naruto roared, tightening his hold on Sasuke's flawless, pale neck.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he clawed at his throat. He couldn't breathe. "What... What the... Fuck," Sasuke choked out, struggling to breathe.

"You bastard. Did you honestly think you could fucking kill me with a pathetic trick like that?" Naruto hissed, narrowing his blood red eyes to slits.

"What... the fuck? I didn't... try... to kill you."

"Then who's to blame for that fucking snake bitting me in the neck?"

"I don't fucking know," Sasuke choked out. He knew that if he didn't get any air soon he would fall unconscious. "Let go... of my neck..."

Sasuke felt himself slam onto the ground. The fucking bastard threw him onto the floor like a rag doll. He struggled to get up, coughing as he did.

_'A snake...? Why would there be a snake? Unless... Kabuto. Of course. He wouldn't have left without a fight unless he had a plan.'_

"I know you're the one who tried to kill me. Who else would it be?" a deep voice sneered.

"It was probably Kabuto," Sasuke answered coldly. He looked up to see a handsome, tall man with spiky black hair and blood red eyes glaring daggers at him. The man was clutching his neck, blood seeping through and dropping onto the clean wooden floor. Was that the Kitsune Shadow without a mask? _'Fuck, he's gorgeous...'_ Sasuke thought admiring the man in front of him. _'...Did I really just think that?'_

"Kabuto? Who's Kabuto?" Naruto asked, feigning ignorance, still glaring at Sasuke with those pretty red eyes that shined like rubies.

Sasuke stood up, feeling a dull pain in his back from being slammed onto the floor and answered, "Orochimaru's right hand man or servant as I like to call it."

"Why would Orochimaru's servant be doing here then? Unless... Your working for them," Naruto slowly said. _'Kabuto planting that snake... That does seem plausible but why would it bite me? Did Kabuto know that I was here? How would he...?' _Millions of questions ran through Naruto's head, each one disturbing him even more than the last.

"I'm not working for them," was Sasuke's curt reply.

Memories of the battle at the Valley of the End snuck into his head, memories of his best friend betraying him for power. Before Naruto could stop himself, he blurted out, "That's total bs, you left your home village to work for Orochimaru just so you could get power to kill Itachi. You left everyone... Did you even care about the people that you were leaving behind? Huh, Bastard?" Naruto inwardly freaked out after he finished what he was saying, _'Fuck. He's going to find out.'_ He kept himself impassive although he really wanted to flail around and throw a tantrum for being so stupid.

_'How the fuck does he know that I went to Orochimaru?'_ Sasuke thought, his eyes wide and his mouth open. It looked very un-Uchiha like.

"Close your mouth. You look like a gaping fish."

Sasuke glared at the man in front of him and asked, "How the fuck do you know that I went to Orochimaru and that I wanted to kill my brother?"

"Everyone's heard about you leaving Konoha and going to Orochimaru when you were around 12 years old. And about your brother, I met him."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"Teme..." Naruto muttered. "I'm going to the Hokage," Naruto declared, walking straight out of the door.

"You do know that your in your boxers right?" Sasuke questioned, amazed at the man's idiocy, although his face remaining emotionless and uncaring.

"..." Naruto walked back into the house and quickly ran upstairs, the stairs making creaky sounds as he made his way up.

_'He's kind of an idiot,'_ Sasuke thought smirking, looking upstairs_. 'I better go to the Hokage as well. Kabuto... Just what are you planning?'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

_'Why the fuck did I just say that? I bet he's suspicious now... Fuck,"_ Naruto cursed in his head while he was changing back into his regular outfit. A shock of raw pain coursed through his neck. He hissed in pain and grabbed the area that was bitten with shaky arms. _'Of course Kabuto would choose a poisonous snake,'_ Naruto thought bitterly as he stepped out of the room with difficulty, his legs weren't cooperating with his brain.

"Are you done yet? You take forever," a smooth voiced drawled.

"I'm done," Naruto rasped out, his vision starting to deteriorate. He forced himself to run downstairs, using most of his remaining strength. He couldn't pass out now. If he did, he was done. _'Stupid snake...'_

"Hn. Let's go then," Sasuke replied, walking gracefully over to the door. He opened it with ease and stepped out waiting for the Kitsune Shadow.

Naruto was feeling horrible, he could barely think straight. The only thing in his mind is getting to Tsunade. She would have a cure, most likely, but then again, this was Kabuto's poison.

"What's taking so long?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.

"I-It's n-nothing..." Naruto replied with a trembling voice. He forced himself to break into a run. He had to get to Tsunade.

"What the fuck?" Sasuke glared, chasing after the man. _'What's wrong with him?'_

Naruto's eyesight was blurring, everything around him looked distorted. His mind was getting jumbled; he forgot what he was doing outside. His entire body wouldn't cooperate with him at all. _'No... I can't... I have to...'_ not even able to finish his thought, he fell to the floor limp. His eyes closed and he blacked out.

"Sasuke-kun!" a feminine voice cried out. "What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, running towards Sasuke who was staring at the unconscious body of the Kitsune Shadow. She noticed the body and asked in a confusion, "What happened?"

"No idea. He just started acting really weird, I'm pretty sure that he was in pain, and then he fainted," Sasuke replied not really caring.

Part of Sakura felt glad that the man was suffering but the medic side of her didn't. "Let's take him up to Tsunade-sama before something even worse happens," she said, walking over to the unconscious man.

"Why not just leave him on the ground? He deserves to die," Sasuke said, flatly.

"Because! If he dies, then Konoha dies as well," Sakura exclaimed.

"We don't need his help to defeat Orochimaru," Sasuke replied, still staring at the limp body.

"Sasuke-kun! Just help him!" Sakura commanded, losing her patience.

"Why? He's a murderer, I want him to suffer like he made many others suffer. I want him begging for death," Sasuke hissed._ 'I want him dead for killing Naruto.'_

Sakura just sighed, running her hands through her soft, bubblegum pink hair, "Sasuke-kun. I know how you feel about Naruto's death... But, think about this. Would Naruto want to see Konoha destroyed?"

"He left Konoha. He probably doesn't care."

"You know that's not true. He does still care."

"He left Konoha and never came back."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't care! I know he would still care, he's just that type of person."

"How would you know?! You're the fucking reason why he's gone," Sasuke snapped, breaking his usual, uncaring exterior.

At that, Sakura felt her patience snap, "Well? I'm not the one who betrayed Naruto for power. You don't know how much pain you brought to him. How much tears you caused him to shed because of your betrayal! And you blame me for hurting him? You're a fucking hypocrite!"

"He had a crush on you for years! You never even acknowledged him at all! All you cared about was me, never him!"

"I do care about him! He's my fucking best friend... I know what I've done in the past is not to be proud about but I really do care about him. Unlike... Unlike you!"

"You care? If you cared, you wouldn't have said those things to Naruto and he wouldn't have left! He would still be here. He would still be alive!"

"I do care! I care a lot about him! You don't know how much it hurts to know that I killed my best friend!"

"Hn. I really doubt your telling the truth, Haruno. All you are is a conceited bitch."

Sakura was on the verge of breaking every bone in that asshole's body. How stupid was she to have liked him before and to reject the person that loved her the most?_ 'I'm so fucking stupid...' _She felt horrible and before she knew it, tears came out of her eyes and slid down her pale cheeks. She wiped them off and scolded herself for being such a wimp.

"Stop fighting will you! Your attracting a crowd!" a female voice commanded. Ino ran towards them, Shikamaru and Choji trailing behind her.

Sakura looked around and realized that they indeed had attracted quite a bit of civilians, but she didn't care. She turned towards Sasuke and roughly grabbed his shirt, glaring at him with her emerald green eyes.

"What about you huh? The only thing you care about power. You never gave a fuck about Naruto's wellbeing. You tried to kill him multiple times!" she hissed.

"Sakura! Stop!" Ino yelled, attempting to pry Sakura's hands off of Sasuke's black shirt, but it was futile, Sakura refused to let go.

"Fuck off, Ino," Sakura snapped.

"Just stop this nonsense," Ino exclaimed, still trying to stop them from fighting. Sakura just ignored Ino, anger getting the best of her.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, noticing the unconscious body on the floor. Was that the Kitsune Shadow?

"Stop fighting you two!" Choji exclaimed.

"Don't hurt Sasuke-kun!" a bunch of female voices cried out. Sasuke's fangirls. Oh joy.

"Fuck. Off. Stupid. Fangirls," Sakura hissed, glaring at them. All of them shrank back in fear, Sakura could seriously scare anyone when she was angry.

"Sakura, I thought you were one of us!" one cried out.

"Yeah! You were even the president of the fanclub!" another exclaimed.

Sakura ignored them and kept glaring at Sasuke, in return, Sasuke glared at her. "If your going to hit me, do it. I dare you," Sasuke taunted.

Before Sakura could beat Sasuke into a bloody pulp, an annoyed female voice rang out. "What the hell is going on?!"

Tsunade rushed over with Shizune behind her. "What's the meaning of this?!" she yelled, annoyed that she was woken up by two idiots yelling at each other.

Before anyone else could answer, Shikamaru said, "Hokage-sama, there's an unconscious man on the floor."

"What?!" Tsunade looked over and her blood ran cold. That was Naruto on the floor. She turned to Sakura and Sasuke, Sakura still having her hand on Sasuke's shirt, and asked angrily, "Who did this to him?" pointing at Naruto.

"Sasuke did!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Hn. A snake bit him," Sasuke replied, annoyed that the pink haired bitch accused him of such a thing.

"...You two, come with me," she said pointing to Sasuke and Sakura. "Everyone else, return to your daily business." She looked over at the two, "Pick him up."

Sakura let go of Sasuke and went to pick up the unconcsious man. "I'll get the head, you get the legs."

Sasuke grunted in response.

"Let's go then," Tsunade said, her honey colored eyes displaying worry._ 'Who did this to you Naruto?' _she thought. '_Sakura or Sasuke? Would they though? Did Naruto tell them that he killed himself? Maybe it was for revenge but, then again, would either of them actually kill someone? ...The Uchiha has killed someone hasn't he? He probably did... After all, he went to Orochimaru.'_

The walk to the Hokage's tower mostly consisted of uncomfortable silence. Tsunade thinking hard about who would hurt Naruto, Shizune looking at Tsunade with worry, Sakura thinking about different ways to kill an Uchiha, and Sasuke just staring into space.

"We're here," Tsunade announced, "Now put him down on my desk." She didn't want to go to the hospital just because it was halfway across the village. She couldn't take chances, and judging from him being on the floor. He was left there, neither of them caring enough to pick him up. She went to lock the door, she didn't want anyone coming in.

Without an answer, they put the unconscious Naruto on the desk albeit roughly, his back slamming against the smooth wood.

"Place him down gently, don't put him down like he's a fucking inanimate object," Tsunade snapped, rather annoyed.

"Sorry Tsunade-sama," Sakura answered with a forced smile. _'Why does she care so much?'_

Sasuke, of course, decided not to answer.

Tsunade stared at both of them and asked in a chilly tone, "Again, who did this? I don't want any lies."

"He was bitten by a snake," Sasuke replied smoothly.

Raising her eyebrows, Tsunade walked over to Naruto feeling for his pulse, it was slow but it was there. "Where was he bitten then and by who?"

"He was bitten on the neck. It was Kabuto's snake."

"Oh come on! You can't possibly believe that. Sasuke probably did it! Why would Kabuto be here anyways?" Sakura exclaimed, not believing any of Sasuke's lies.

"I didn't do it."

"You said you wanted him to suffer and die!"

"Doesn't mean I would kill the man."

"You would! That's the type of person you are, a selfish, arrogant bast-"

"Shut up!" Tsunade snapped, tired of their bickering. "Uchiha, why would Kabuto be here?"

"He visited my home. He wanted me to go join Orochimaru's again but I declined. I'm guessing he planted the snake before he left."

"That does seem plausible."

_'I don't believe any of it,'_ Sakura thought, still glaring at Sasuke. He didn't care enough to glare back.

Tsunade walked over to the unconcsious form of the Kitsune Shadow and tore his shirt off without batting an eye. She was extra careful not to pull of his mask, knowing that if she did, Naruto would probably run away and, or kill her. Her honey brown eyes widened when she saw the wound. It was bleeding like crazy, two deep holes in his tan neck and right next to it was a curse seal. It was unlike any of the seals she had ever seen before, it was Orochimaru's creation no doubt.

"Is... Is that a curse seal?" Shizune asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm afraid so..." Tsunade answered.

"How is that even possible?!" Sakura exclaimed, a sudden horrible feeling washing over her.

"Maybe the snake didn't do it. Maybe he was Orochimaru's servant before." Shizune suggested.

"I highly doubt that," was Tsunade's curt answer. She examined the area of the seal, pressing down a bit on the infected area. It seemed to be a fresh seal, only done a few hours ago. "The seal seems to be rather new, he was bitten a few hours ago, I'm guessing." She turned to face the silent Uchiha and asked, "When did Kabuto visit you?"

"Yesterday at around evening time."

"What exactly did he say to you?"

"He just asked me to join Orochimaru to destroy Konoha."

Tsunade looked over Naruto's curse seal and something struck her about the design. It seemed a lot more simple than any of the other ones that she's seen before. She put her hand on it and focused some chakra to the area, her chakra came out strong but it seemed to weaken. _'The seal only drains some chakra,'_ she thought with shock. '_It won't do that much damage. I hope...' _She pursed her lips and said, "The seal doesn't seem to be killing him, rather draining chakra from him. He should be fine in a few. The first few days of getting the seal will be rough though..." Tsunade walked over to her desk and pulled out a gauze bandage. Walking over to the Kitsune Shadow, she wrapped it around the swollen wound on his neck with extra care. She really didn't want to hurt Naruto even more.

_'I wish it was fatal,'_ Sasuke thought with annoyance.

Sakura had a sudden urge to go and rip off the man's mask. Just looking at his slim, lean body made her want to see how he looks like under that Kitsune mask. How old was this man anyways? His body suggested around 20 or so years old but his voice suggested late 30s. Without thinking, Sakura blurted out, "We should take his mask off!" She felt like smacking herself in the face for asking a stupid question like that. This was a serious situation, it was no time to fool around.

Everyone stared at Sakura as if she had gone mad except Sasuke. He simply stared at the man's curse seal, ignoring how gorgeous the man looked without his shirt on._ 'That seems to be a new seal... All of the Sound 4 had seals with thicker lines and rounder curves. Does it only drain chakra?'_

"No, Sakura. We are not taking off his mask," Tsunade said in a steely tone. _'They can't find out that he's Naruto.'_

_'Couldn't hurt to try,' _Sakura thought, shocked that Tsunade didn't allow it. '_She seems overprotective of him... Why would she though?' _

"I already saw under his mask," Sasuke said smoothly. "He didn't wear his mask when he accused me of planting that snake to kill him."

"Oh, how'd he look like?" Sakura asked, curiousity getting the best of her. She supposed that she was supposed to be ignoring him but she was genuinely curious.

_'Does he know that it's Naruto?'_ Tsunade thought with worry. _'But... He didn't seem to act like he knew that it was Naruto...'_

"No reason to tell you, Haruno. Maybe he'll show you if you ask nicely," Sasuke smirked.

"Fuck you," Sakura hissed.

"Ugh..." a light voice moaned out.

Everyone turned to the direction of the voice, the man lying on the desk. Did he wake up? Why did his voice go higher? Rather than sounding like he was in his late 30s, he sounded like he was a teenager. His voice was still smooth to the ears, but it was octaves higher.

"What the fuck... My head..." he moaned out, slowly sitting up from his rather uncomfortable position on the Hokage's desk. He felt a sudden chill run up his chest, he looked down and saw that he was shirtless. '_What the fuck?'_ he thought groggily.

"Oh, your awake," Tsunade said softly.

"What happened?" he asked, looking around. He was in the Hokage's tower. How did he get here?

**-End of Chapter 6-**


	7. Chapter 7

** Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process? Main Pairing – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **This chapter was strangely hard to write for some reason... Oh well, I hope you guys enjoy it! Don't forget to rate and review!

** Chapter 7- Feelings**

**"**You fainted out on the streets of Konoha and these idiots-," Tsunade said, pointing at Sakura and Sasuke, "decided to leave you on the floor in favor of bickering with each other. They woke up the entire village with their yelling."

"Really now? I was under the impression that Bubblegum was infactuated with the Uchiha. All she talked about was "Sasuke-kun"," Naruto said with raised eyebrows, smirking under his mask.

"What?! I don't like that bastard at all! He's a disgusting son of a-"

"Sakura," Tsunade warned, she towards Sakura with a face that said finish-that-sentence-and-I-will-shut-you-up-permanently.

"Fine... Anyways, why'd your voice change?" Sakura asked, curiously.

_'Oh fuck,'_ Naruto thought with annoyance. _'I'm so fucking stupid... Think of something...'_

Tsunade, sensing that Naruto was panicking, quickly said, "He's just sick... His voice should go back to normal in a few days."

Sakura didn't buy it; Sasuke didn't either, but they didn't question it.

"It's not that... The other voice was a henge, this one is my real voice," Naruto answered with a sigh.

"You sound like a teenager... How old are you?" Sakura asked with raised eyebrows, her hands on her hips.

"I'm 20," Naruto lied.

"Seriously?!" Sakura's eyes widened._ 'The Kitsune Shadow, known as one of the strongest Ninjas in the world, is a mere teenager?'_ She just couldn't believe it.

"Your 20?!" Shizune exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. By the way, why the fuck is my shirt off?" Naruto drawled. "It's pretty cold in here."

"I was just checking the wound that the snake inflicted," Tsunade replied. _  
_

Naruto jumped off the desk that he was on and felt pain sear through his body. He stumbled, holding the area of the wound. It was covered by a thick layer of white bandages, but it was still bleeding through. "Fuck..." he hissed wincing.

"You also have a curse seal near the area that you were bitten," Tsunade said in a strangely calm manner.

Naruto blinked a few times before answering, "What?"

"You have a curse seal."

"...Oh fuck me."

"Don't worry about the seal. It doesn't really do much except drain chakra... Just don't overexert yourself."

"It drains chakra? So, that means-"

"In other words, your worthless," Sasuke interrupted with a sneer on his handsome face.

Tsunade sighed and smacked her head in frustration. "Uchiha, will it kill you to just try to be nice?"

"Why should I be nice to someone like him?" Sasuke questioned, pointing at Naruto. "He probably doesn't even care."

"I don't think you even know what nice means!" Sakura exclaimed, still glaring at Sasuke.

"Your right, I don't."

"I don't mind the insults. If anything I enjoy them, it makes me feel alive again..." Naruto muttered, no one noticing but Sasuke.

"Uchiha, he's going to be living here for who knows how long. You better make nice with him or I'll gut you like a fish," Tsunade threatened.

"Hn."

"Is it that hard to answer with a complete sentence?!" Sakura snapped, annoyed at the Uchiha. She absolutely despised how he acted like he was superior to everyone around him just because he was the last Uchiha. _'Fucking bastard... Why did I even like him? There's nothing good about him other than his face.'_

"Fine. I'll try to be nice to this murderer. Happy Haruno?" Sasuke said flatly.

"I'll be happy once you pull that stick out of your ass," she replied with a mocking smile.

"I'll be glad to tell you that I have it up my ass so far that-"

"Ahaha... Ahahaha," Naruto laughed, shocking everyone in the room. It was a genuine laugh, the first laugh since he had left Konoha, ditching his old, sunny self for something darker. He couldn't hold the laugh in no matter how hard he tried, it was just way to funny. Who knew that Sakura Haruno, the biggest fangirl of Sasuke Uchiha, would insult him? She was one of those people that worshiped the ground the Uchiha walked on and probably tried to rape him on multiple occasions.

"Why are you laughing?" Sakura questioned, thoroughly confused. She had heard that this man never showed much emotion to anything. He was someone who didn't care who he killed or hurt as long as he got money for it. So, why was he laughing now?

"You two... Are hilarious," Naruto said, struggling to stop laughing but failing miserably. "Ahaha. Just... Absolutely hilarious."

_'He has a nice laugh...'_ Sasuke mused, staring at the masked man until he realized what he had thought. '_No, I hate this man, there's nothing good about him,'_ he internally hissed. Why does he feel this way towards the Kitsune Shadow?

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, Naruto wasn't nearly as cold as he let on. There was still a chance that the warm, sunny Naruto was still there, just buried under all that immense anger.

"Kitsune, you need to go rest," Tsunade commanded, changing the mood of the room back to serious; She was really worried about Naruto's health. He may seem fine at the moment but any given second, the seal could activate and she didn't want to take any chances. Rest was Naruto's best bet.

"Fine," he replied, taking off his mask and smoothing out his spiky, black hair. He knew that his henge was still activated so he had no problem taking off his mask in front of them. It would make him seem a lot less secretive and a lot less suspicious.

_'Oh. My. God,'_ Sakura thought, her emerald eyes wide, _'He's gorgeous.' _Her eyes, roved over his pale skin, that lean but muscular body was to die for, it was so smooth and creamy looking. She just wanted to reach out and touch those abs. His face was attractive as well, spiky, pitch black hair that looked soft to touch and beautiful blood red eyes framed by long dark lashes. He had an aristocratic nose, long and thin, high cheek bones, and thin, pale lips. He had the look of a rich, pampered brat, his expression one of utmost pride, even more so than Sasuke. He was just so... Gorgeous._ 'But he's a fucking murderer... He's nothing but a monster. He tortured Naruto! He... He killed my best friend. I should hate him!' _Sakura thought, scolding herself. _'Somehow I don't.'_

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, yet again, and smirked._ 'Naruto... Your really overdoing this aren't you?'_

Shizune's eyes bulged out_, 'He's drop-dead gorgeous,' _she thought, unconsciously tightening her hold on Tonton making her squeal in protest. "Sorry," she smiled down at the pig, "my bad."

"So, I go back to the Uchiha's house right?" he asked, a bored expression on his face.

"Yeah," Tsunade answered, walking back to her desk. She sat down and looked at him with an amused expression on her face. "By the way, Kitsune, what's your real name?" she asked with feigned curiosity.

"I go by Nagato," Naruto replied, smoothly. It was the first name that popped into his head so he thought, why the hell not?

"Last name?" Sakura asked, curiously.

"None of your business, bubblegum. Just knowing my first name will suffice," he replied, not even making eye contact with her.

_'What's his problem?!'_ "Why are you so fucking mean to me?!" she blurted out. All she wanted was to get on good terms with this man.

"Because, I don't like you. Reason enough," Naruto drawled.

"Why? What did I ever do?!" she demanded.

"I just dislike you."

"But why?"

"No reason."

"There has to be a reason!" she shouted.

"Fine, you just act like a snobby bitch, happy?" he sneered.

_'Ugh...'_ Tsunade thought, smacking her palm into her face. _'Sakura can seriously get into a fight with anyone can she?'_

"That's not a good reason!"

"Why do you even care so much?" he questioned, his eyebrows raised. _'Why does she? There's no point unless she's butthurt about someone not liking her. A lot of people don't like her though... What's going through her head?'_

"Forget it!" she hissed. "Stubborn son of a bitch."

"Thanks, I am one," he replied, a smirk on his lovely face.

"Sasuke, take Nagato back to the Uchiha complex to rest," she commanded, shaking her head at both Naruto and Sakura. They should be a lot more mature than this.

"Fine. Let's go," he replied, crossing his arms and gracefully strolled out of the room, not looking back at Tsunade.

"I'm going home!" Sakura stated, about to walk out the door.

"Sakura, wait. Stay here," Tsunade commanded, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. She knew she was going to get a massive headache soon._ 'I'm too old for this...'_

"Okay..." Sakura replied, knowing that Tsunade would probably tell her to stop arguing with everyone. She just sighed and made her way over to Tsunade's desk.

"How long do I rest?" Naruto asked, staring straight at Tsunade, careful to avoid looking at Sakura. "I don't even feel sick or anything."

"Your chakra levels are lower than they normally are, I'm sure you can feel the difference. Just go rest," she replied, turning to Shizune who was standing next to her. "Can you get me some more Sake?"

"Fine Tsunade-sama," Shizune replied with a sigh, leaving the room.

"There's no cure for the seal right?" Naruto questioned, bracing himself for the answer.

"Not that I know of," she replied with a frown. "I can try to find a cure though."

"Alright," he replied, "Well I'll be going." With that, he walked out of the door, not even bothering to put his mask on or even his shirt.

_'I always heard that he was careful with his mask... So, why is freely showing his face?_' Sakura thought, perplexed. _'This guy makes absolutely zero sense... And, why does Tsunade-sama seem to care so much about him? She seemed concerned about his well being... Is this man related to her or something?'_

She nodded and turned to Sakura who was standing there, uncomfortably. Tsunade could tell that she was trying hard not to say anything to spark another argument.

The entire room was bathed in silence until Sakura couldn't hold it in anymore. "Why do you seem to care so much him?!" she blurted out. She really needed to control her mouth.

"I don't care about him," Tsunade answered.

"Yeah you do! Like when you snapped at me for practically throwing his unconcsious body onto the table or when you lied for him or when you-"

"Sakura. My relationship with him is none of your business," Tsunade snapped.

Sakura sighed and grudgingly apologized, "Sorry."

"Alright. So, I want you and Sasuke to help him tour Konoha," she said.

Her jaw dropped, "Why us? Why not Kakashi-sensei or something?"

"Just do it," came the irritated reply.

"When?" she asked, anger building up towards her teacher.

"In a few days, let him get used to Konoha. Introduce him to some of your friends as well," she said, _'Let him want to stay in Konoha.'_

"But..."

"Sakura."

"Fine," she grumbled, knowing that she can't argue with the Hokage.

"Off you go then," Tsunade said, shooing her off.

"Fine..." she replied as she headed out the door.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

The walk to the Uchiha complex was extremely uncomfortable for Naruto. There was little to no talking at all and it bothered him. Naruto was always one who talked a lot, no matter what. He always ran his mouth at the wrong moments, resulting in him getting in trouble.

Sasuke just strolled along, staring at the floor with a near emotionless expression on his handsome face. His hair was mused, the cool breeze being the cause of it. His eyes, were shining from the bright sun, making them look a lot more ravishing than they normally did. His black shirt was flowing in rhythm with the windy breeze causing the outline of his abs to be shown. It was just an alluring sight to see.

Pretty soon, Naruto found himself staring at Sasuke, his eyes roving over Sasuke. He had to admit that Sasuke was way to gorgeous for his own good. '_No. I did not just think that,'_ Naruto thought, his face dusted with a light shade of pink.

_'Why is he staring at me?'_ Sasuke thought, looking behind him. Naruto was blushing, a pretty pink color spread throughout his face. _'Is he another fanboy?'_ Sasuke thought with annoyance. _'...I doubt it. He doesn't seem to take any interest in me, maybe I'm just imagining it.'_

As they kept on walking in silence, Naruto decided to keep himself occupied by staring at the familiar sights around him, looking at everything but Sasuke. One scene certainly caught his eye. Was that Shikamaru and Ino passionately making out in a rather empty dango stand? His eyes nearly bulged out of his head and his jaw dropped to the floor when he walked past them.

_'Holy fuck_. _Shikamaru and Ino dating? ...I think I'm going crazy.' _He had the sudden urge to walk back to the dango stand and watch them but that would be considered stalking wouldn't it? _'Just how much has changed in two years? Sakura hating Sasuke, Ino dating Shikamaru... What's next? Kiba now loves cats? Yeah, that's it, I'm going crazy, no doubt about it.'_

"You look like an idiot," a smooth, sexy voice rang out, snapped Naruto from his thoughts.

It took Naruto a second to process that Sasuke was talking to him and that his mouth was still wide open. He imagined himself looking like a complete idiot. "Fuck you," he said as he changed his facial expression to a glare.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he neared the Uchiha complex. He walked towards the porch with a strange grace that Naruto hadn't noticed before and went to unlock the door. Swiftly unlocking the door, he walked in without another word.

Naruto followed, starting to feel a little disoriented. He felt a small burning sensation at the base of his neck, it was getting stronger by the second. '_The curse seal... Fuck,'_ he shut his eyes and tried to focus on breathing. His legs gave out and he fell to the clean, till floor. _'Orochimaru... When I get my hands on you, I'll make you beg for death,'_ he thought, shakily trying to get up. Everything was blurring, nothing was looking like it should. He found himself feeling sleepier every second, he couldn't open his eyes, they just weren't cooperating. _'No...'_ he thought as he drifted to unconsciousness.

**-End of Chapter 7-  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, **Side Pairings** – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **This chapter and the next few will be about Naruto's life in Konoha and his feelings for a certain Uchiha. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! Don't forget to rate and review!

**Chapter 8- Friendship**

Sasuke lied in bed, trying to fall sleep, but something wasn't allowing him to. _'Why hasn't Nagato come upstairs yet?'_

_'Won't hurt to check on him,' _Sasuke thought, sitting up from his bed and heading downstairs.

He was greeted by the man, unconscious on the floor. _'What the fuck? Did the seal activate again?' _Knowing that Tsunade would kill him if he didn't, he walked up to the man and picked him up, surprised that he was rather light.

"Ngh..." he moaned, shifting his position, snuggling into the warmth of Sasuke's chest. Nagato's face was relatively peaceful; he didn't look anything like his normal self. He didn't look like an angry, heartless killer who didn't give a fuck about anyone but himself. Sasuke soon found himself reddening from looking at the unconscious man, realizing that he was actually quite cute when he wasn't awake. Sasuke's heart had started beating a lot faster in his chest. _'What the fuck is wrong with me?!'_ Sasuke thought,_ 'I'm not gay for the murderer of my best friend.'_

_'Just don't think about it... Just get upstairs and put him down on the bed and leave,' _Sasuke thought, trying to fight down his blush and fluttering heart. Why was he feeling this way? He should feel the opposite but for some strange reason, he didn't.

"Sasuke..." Naruto muttered, still unconscious, and very shirtless. It took all of Sasuke's strength not to look at the man's lean body.

_'What the hell?'_

"Fuck you..." Naruto muttered, his brow furrowing. He shifted his position in Sasuke's arms.

_'Okay, now that makes more sense,' _Sasuke thought as he made his way upstairs. He didn't know what room Nagato resided in, so he opted for the one closest to him just so he could keep an eye on the man. He didn't want any dirty business._ 'Liar.'_

Setting Nagato down, Sasuke kept his gaze away from the unconscious man. He didn't know what would happen if he looked.

A bunch of weird emotions made their way into Sasuke's head. Love, anger, confusion, denial, almost every negative emotion possible was swirled into his head, causing a weird feeling of depression mixed with joy. _'What's wrong with me?'_ Sasuke thought with a shake of his head and got up to leave the room, but before he could, Nagato started to make small noises.

"Mm..." Naruto breathed out as his eyes fluttered open. Sasuke could have sworn that Nagato's eyes were bright blue, but before he could confirm it, they turned to the normal, blood red color.

_'That's it, I'm going crazy. There's no way that his eyes were blue... They're red. Blood red. Not bright blue,'_ Sasuke thought, watching the man slowly wake up. It was mesmerizing, he just couldn't look away.

"...Did I fall unconscious again?" Naruto questioned in a flat tone when he realized that Sasuke was next to him and that he was in one of the bedrooms.

"Yes."

"Fucking curse seal," he grumbled. "Argh..." he hissed out, tentatively putting his hand on his head as he felt a sharp pain race through it.

"Just go rest."

"Like I'll listen to you."

"Fine, be that way. Have fun suffering," Sasuke said, walking out of the door.

"Whatever..." Naruto mumbled and lied down in bed. _'I'm really turning out to be useless aren't I?'_ he thought with annoyance, _'How can I be a ninja now with the stupid seal? How can I be a help to Konoha? If anything, I'll just be in the way...'_

**_'Kill Orochimaru and Kabuto,'_ **the fox stated.

_'They'll kill me even before I even get a scratch on either of them because of this stupid seal draining my chakra.'_

**_'It doesn't drain all your chakra, only most of it.'_**

_'Well, that certainly makes me feel a lot better,'_ Naruto thought sarcastically.

**_'The seal will get weaker once Orochimaru gets defeated since he's the one the chakra is going to.'_**

_'How would you know?'_

**_'I know because I'm a lot older than you, around 100 times older.'_**

_'Like I would trust you.'_

**_'Well then go rot in a hole as a useless, little boy,' _**Kurama snapped, annoyed at how stubborn Naruto could be.

_'I will, thank you very much.'_

**_'Why won't you trust me brat? I'm stuck inside your body so the seal does affect me too.'_**

_'At least you don't fall unconscious at any given moment.'_

**_'That's only temporary. You don't see Sasuke fainting in the middle of the street.'_**

_'Well maybe that's because Orochimaru likes Sasuke... Like a pet. He probably gets treated like royalty there... Not like it's much different in Konoha,'_ Naruto thought with a cringe.

**_'Your implying that Orochimaru is a pedophile aren't you?'_**

_'Well kind of? He seems like one.'_

**_'Well great news, he is one. Just look at the way he looks at the Uchiha. I know for a fact that he has done experiments on the guy. Disturbing isn't it?' _**

Naruto felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of Sasuke, he ignored it and replied,_ 'I did not need to know that.'_

**_'Just saying. Tch, go to sleep brat, you'll get some of your chakra back.'_**

_'I will once you shut up.'_

**_'Sleep and then I'll shut up.'_**

_'...Fine,'_ Naruto thought, closing his eyes.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Orochimaru-sama, should I send ninjas to attack Konoha?" Kabuto asked, toying around with a dead snake that he had been experimenting on.

"No. We shall bide our time until we are able to get the Kyuubi into our possesion," Orochimaru rasped out.

"When will that be?" Kabuto asked with interest. He really wanted to fight against Naruto and to make the guy suffer for being such a nuisance to their plans.

"Pretty soon... How soon, I'm not sure. At least a week," Orochimaru replied, his yellow eyes glittering.

"That's quite a long time," Kabuto said.

"It is... But, that will be when Naruto would be weakest. Even the fox won't be able to help," Orochimaru said, a sneer on his snake-like face.

"Alright. Well, I'll be experimenting on those undead ninjas," Kabuto said with a wave.

"Take your time."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sakura sighed as she was lying in bed. Something was bothering her, but somehow, she couldn't remember what it was._ 'What was it...?'_

_Ding Dong! _Sakura frowned as she turned on her side,_ 'That can't be my parents... They're out at work. Who would bother to visit me?'_

_Ding Dong! 'Won't hurt to check,'_ she thought, as she stood up and headed for the door.

"Hey! Sakura! Open up! Billboard brow! Forehead! You there?" Ino called from outside.

_'Of course, it's Ino...'_ Sakura thought, unlocking the door.

"Took you long enough!" Ino exclaimed, crossing her arms and glaring at her friend.

"What?" Sakura asked, flatly.

"Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"...What day is it tomorrow?"

"Ino, if the only reason why you came to my house is because you needed to know what day tomorrow is-"

"Just answer the question," Ino cut in.

"Fine, tomorrow is October tenth. What about it?" Sakura asked, still clueless.

"October tenth," Ino repeated.

"Yeah?" Sakura asked, confused. '_October tenth... October tenth...'_

"How could you forget?!"

Sakura just frowned and replied, "I'm just kind of out of it..."

"Naruto's birthday!" Ino shouted.

"Naruto's birthday...?" she replied, in a dazed tone before she realized what Ino had said. "Naruto's birthday! That's right!"

"Finally..." Ino said with a sigh, rolling her pale, turquiose eyes. "Anyways, we're going to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate his birthday..." she said, trailing off.

_'Naruto's birthday... How can I forget...?'_ she thought, angry at herself for forgetting her friend's birthday. She had made it her resolve to celebrate his birthday every year to keep his memory alive even when he wasn't.

"Sakura? You awake?" Ino asked, confused by her friend's sudden silence.

"Yeah... So, what time?" Sakura asked.

"Around lunch time, I'll just come over and get you," Ino answered.

"Okay. Who else is going?" Sakura asked warily.

"You don't want Hinata to go don't you?" Ino said with a roll of her eyes.

"I don't mind having Hinata come, as long as she doesn't glare at me..."

"She's still not over Naruto...?"

"Of course not, Naruto was her true love... She does have a right to hate me though," Sakura said with a sigh. "I don't like myself much either."

"Don't say that! Look, Hinata doesn't have to come," Ino argued, a frown on her pretty face.

"Let her come... Just, who else is coming?"

"For sure, Hinata, Shikamaru, Kiba, Sai, Neji, Lee, and Chouji," Ino replied. "Your coming right?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know if Sasuke is coming?"

"No idea," she replied curtly, her face souring at the mention of Sasuke.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go to ask Sasuke if he wants to come," Ino said with a wave as she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Sakura exclaimed, "I'm coming with you. I have nothing else to do..."

"Alright then," Ino said. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you, how was your mission?"

"The mission on retrieving the Kitsune Shadow?"

"Yeah! Is he here?" Ino asked, enthusiasm in her blue eyes as they headed towards the Uchiha complex.

"He's living with Sasuke," Sakura replied.

"Did you see under his mask yet?" Ino asked.

"Yeah."

"Is he old? Is he hot? Tell me!" Ino exclaimed, stars in her eyes.

_'Absolutely gorgeous._' "He's alright," Sakura lied, "You can see for yourself when we get to Uchiha's home."

_'Uchiha? ...So she's still angry at Sasuke...'_ Ino noted. "Alright. Hey Sakura..."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you like Sasuke anymore?"

"There's nothing to like about him."

"But, you had like the biggest crush on him ever."

"I was stupid. I know who I really love now..."

"Who?" Ino asked, stumped. She had expected Sakura to just glare at her, not actually reply.

"Who do you think?"

"Kitsune Shadow?"

Sakura just shook her head and sighed.

"Oh I got it... Lee?!"

"No."

"Oh, we're near Sasuke's home now!" Ino exclaimed, pointing over at the dark building.

"Great," Sakura grumbled.

"You know what we should do?"

"What?" Sakura replied, flatly.

"We should totally invite the Kitsune Shadow to celebrate Naruto's birthday!"

_'He's the fucking reason why Naruto's dead!'_ she thought with rage. "No."

"Why not?" Ino whined. "He's staying in Konoha for a while isn't he? Why not let him tour around with us?"

"Just don't."

"Well, too bad!" Ino said as they reached Sasuke's home. She knocked on the door a few times, waiting for the Uchiha to come out. Instead, all she got was silence.

"Maybe he's not home," Sakura said.

"Well, I'll wait till he gets here then," Ino said, knocking on the door, louder than before. Still no answer. She just sighed before yelling, "Sasuke! Sasuke! Hello? You there?"

"He's not there!" Sakura insisted. Ino could be really stubborn sometimes.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Hello? You there?" a loud, feminine voice called from outside the Uchiha complex.

_'What does Ino want?' _Sasuke thought, annoyed as he lay in bed, hating himself for feeling things for Nagato. He really didn't want to deal with Ino right now or anyone for that matter. All he wanted to do was figure out his feelings for Nagato and then maybe kill the man. _'I don't like him... I hate him for that matter, but why does my heart beat faster near him? Why did I have the sudden urge to kiss him? I know that I'm gay, but why am I gay for a cold, heartless murderer. ...Maybe because he's a lot like me? I'm the same as him, an uncaring, heartless person... Maybe that's why. I can't hate him for killing Naruto when Naruto did want to die. I can't hate him for that... After all, I tried to kill Naruto multiple times in the past. I'm not any better than him... But, I know that I feel something for Naruto as well. Ugh, just fuck this... Why can't I just be straight? I have a ton of fangirls that I can just fuck. I could even revive the Uchiha clan... But, with a fangirl...? Nope.'_

"Sasuke! Open up! I know your in there!" Ino called, again.

Sighing, he got up out of his bed and headed downstairs to tell Ino to shut up and leave him alone. He unlocked the door and said in a flat tone, "Stop yelling."

"Your fault for taking such a long time!" Ino retorted.

"Hn. What do you want?" he asked, annoyed. He looked over and saw that Sakura was standing next to Ino. She noticed him looking at her and immediately glared at him.

"Tomorow, Ichiraku Ramen for Naruto's birthday," Ino said, bluntly.

_'Naruto's birthday? Oh yeah, it's tomorow...'_ "Not interested," Sasuke replied, his face devoid of emotion.

"Why not?!"

"He's not interested Ino. Let him be," Sakura interrupted.

"But... I just thought that he would want to come. Naruto was your best friend and rival wasn't he? So why aren't you coming to celebrate his birthday?" Ino asked, her brow furrowing.

"I rather not," he replied. _'I don't need to be reminded that the dobe isn't here anymore.'_

"Just come! It'll be fun," Ino said as she turned towards Sakura, "Make him come!"

"I see no reason to. He does nothing interesting anyways," Sakura replied.

"But... Fine! I'll invite the Kitsune Shadow!" Ino shouted. "Hey Kitsune Shadow guy! Hey!"

"Shut up Ino," Sakura hissed.

"No. Hey! Wake up!"

"He'll probably kill you if you wake him up," Sasuke drawled. With a sigh, he said, "Fine, I'll go. Just don't wake him up."

"I don't care. Hey! Wake up! Hello? Wake up!" Ino yelled, as she peeked through the door.

"There's no point in inviting him since he-" Sasuke was cut off by a hand on his mouth. His eyes widened as he stared into furious, emerald eyes._ 'So, she doesn't want me to tell.'_

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Ino asked, staring at Sasuke and Sakura with interest.

"What the fuck?" a sleepy voice rang out from inside the Uchiha complex.

"Oh! Is that you, the Kitsune Shadow?" Ino asked, ignoring Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke just glared and pulled Sakura's hand away from his mouth. "Don't touch me," he hissed to her.

"I wouldn't touch you even if you were the last man on earth," she growled back.

"I go by Nagato," he replied, "Who the fuck are you?" A gorgeous brunette man asked as he walked down the stairs, still shirtless. _'Ino? What's she doing here?'_

"Holy fuck your hot!" she blurted out before a blush spread across her face.

"I thought you had a boyfriend," Naruto said with confusion.

"You have a boyfriend?!" Sakura asked, her eyes wide.

"How'd you know?" Ino asked, staring at Nagato with awe.

"I saw you and him making out at this dango stand, yesterday," Naruto admitted.

"So, that's why you were gaping like a fish?" Sasuke asked, recalling yesterday's events.

"Yeah," Naruto drawled.

"Is it Shikamaru or Chouji?" Sakura asked.

"Shikamaru," Ino replied, the blush still adorning her face.

"Oh! Congratulations! I knew you guys would get together eventually," Sakura beamed, forgetting her dislike for the Uchiha.

"Thanks," Ino grinned, "Now, where were we...? Oh yeah, come celebrate my friend's birthday tomorow at Ichiraku Ramen, Nagato was it?"

_'Ichiraku Ramen... How can I say no?'_ Naruto thought,_ 'But, once I go there, I'll probably eat like fifty bowls...'_ "Who's birthday is it?" Naruto asked as a diverging question, still thinking hard on whether he should go or not.

"It's Naruto Uzumaki's birthday!" Ino grinned.

Sakura's eyes widened, she knew that Nagato would spill that he was the one that killed Naruto. She spotted Sasuke, glaring at Nagato, as if ready to attack.

"Fishcake Whirpool?" Naruto questioned, "...That's a nice name."

_'He didn't say anything. What the fuck?'_ Sakura thought, staring at the man with shock.

"Yeah! So would you like to come?" Ino asked.

"Sure, why not?" Naruto replied. "What time tomorrow?"

"Around noon, get to Ichiraku's by one."

"Where's Ichiraku's?" Naruto asked, feigning ignorance.

"Have Sasuke show you," Sakura said.

"Who said I'm going?" Sasuke snapped.

"You said that you were going earlier when Ino was yelling for Nagato to wake up."

"I don't want to go if he goes."

"To bad!" Ino snapped, "Your going!"

"Don't worry, I'll drag him there," Naruto drawled.

"Great! Well, I'll go invite others. Cya tomorrow!" she said as she turned to leave.

"I'll be going too," Sakura said, leaving without another word.

Sasuke just stared at Nagato, _'Why didn't he say that he killed Naruto? He didn't seem so secretive when he revealed it to us.'_

_'They celebrate my birthday...? I thought that they don't care about me...' _Naruto thought with a shake of his head.

"Why didn't you tell Ino that you killed Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a cold voice, scaring Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Why would I reveal that I killed him?" Naruto questioned.

"You didn't seem to care when you revealed it to us."

"Yeah, only because I wanted to excite a reaction from you and Bubblegum."

"So, you didn't kill Naruto?" Sasuke asked confused.

"I did kill him. I just don't feel like it's a good idea to reveal something like that when it's supposed to be a happy occasion."

Sasuke didn't believe any of it. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you going?"

"Why can't I? She invited me didn't she?"

"Why?" He questioned again.

"Fine. I'm bored. There's nothing to do here but lie in bed and sleep. Is that reason enough?"

"So to avoid being bored, you're attending the birthday of someone you've killed?" Sasuke hissed.

"Pretty much. Why are you still not over this? The kid didn't want to live. He seemed fine with getting killed."

"Because, I know him. He's not like that. He wouldn't give up so easily."

"People change Uchiha."

"Hn."

"What was this Naruto kid to you anyways? You seem so strung over his death. It's like the only thing you actually react to."

"None of your business."

"Be that way. I just wanted to know about the kid I killed. He seemed to be quite stupid actually."

"Shut up. You know nothing about him," Sasuke hissed, clenching his fists.

"You're right. I don't, that's kind of why I'm asking you," Naruto retorted.

"Fuck you. All you are is a heartless killer."

_'Ouch that hurts,'_ Naruto thought with a wince. "Same goes for you, Uchiha. I can even bet that you're worse than I am. You trained under Orochimaru, didn't you? He probably made you kill hundreds of people. I kill people only if I have to. If they support the wrong choices, I get rid of them. I don't kill innocents."

"..." Sasuke was speechless. _'He's right... How does he seem to know everything?! Fuck him.'_

"No words, huh Uchiha? It's not good being a hypocrite."

"If you don't kill innocents, then why did you kill Naruto? You said that you killed him because he was annoying. You tortured him too." Sasuke retorted, his eyes narrowed and angry. If Nagato pissed him off even more, he would attack. To hell with Tsunade's orders.

"I didn't torture him, I was just adding fuel to the fire. I did kill the kid, but he was already dead. You could see it in his eyes, that he didn't want to live anymore. I felt pity towards him, so I killed him."

From what Sasuke could tell, Nagato didn't seem to be lying. He felt guilt spike within him, remembering the old times with Naruto, the days of Team Seven. _'I ruined all of it for revenge. Revenge on my brother who didn't even deserve it. I destroyed our bond. I destroyed everything... For petty revenge.' _"But, you still killed my best friend..."

Staring at Sasuke, Naruto felt his stomach clench. Sasuke really did care about him didn't he? That was a huge surprise. He felt a tiny bit of hope spiral into his stomach, he felt more alive than he did in years. Sasuke did care. Sasuke didn't scorn him, didn't hate him. For the first time, he felt like he wanted to return to Konoha. He wanted it to be like the old days, the Team Seven days. Before he knew it, there was a small smile on his face.

"You're not such a bad guy Uchiha..." Naruto said, "No matter how cold you seem, you do care for people."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Did Nagato just compliment him? He didn't know how to react to it. The only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Hn."

"I do wish that we could be friends..." Naruto muttered, unsure if he was referring about their old relationship or the one now.

_'He wants to be friends...? ...No one has said that before to me, only Naruto.'_ Sasuke's heart started to beat a lot faster, he still didn't know how to react to that.

"Sure. We can be friends," Sasuke said, trying to sound nonchalant. It didn't work as well as he hoped.

Naruto just grinned in return.

**-End of Chapter 8-**


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **This story will probably be more based on romance than it will be action. I'm guessing you guys should already know that based on the genre I put this story as. Just telling you guys before hand, I'm really not that good at describing action scenes. Okay, so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Loving that SasuNaru. If you guys have any suggestions or critiques, I would love to hear it! Maybe I should add some GaaNaru... Hm, should I?

**Chapter 9- Confusion**

_"Sure. We could be friends," Sasuke said, trying to sound casual._

Naruto smiled at that memory as he lay in bed. He didn't exactly know why, but he felt livelier than he had felt in forever. He could actually be friends with Sasuke. Not rivals, but friends. Naruto had always wanted that as a kid, to be friends with someone who knew his pain, someone who knew how it felt to grow up alone. It helped to know that Sasuke didn't hate Naruto at all, that his death did affect the stoic Uchiha. _'He does care about me...'_

**_'I like how you went from hating the Uchiha to liking him in a few hours.'_**

_'Shut up.'_

_**'You have feelings for him, don't you?'**_

_'No! Of course not...'_

_**'Such a liar.'**  
_

_'I'm not lying!' _Naruto thought, a blush creeping onto his face.

_'**Heh.'**_

_'Fuck off stupid fox,' _Naruto thought, annoyed. He did not like Sasuke that way, not at all..

With a sigh, Naruto got out of bed and guessed that it was around 7 AM. _'Might as well go take a shower. Fuck, I don't have any spare clothing... What now?' _Naruto thought, annoyed.

"Oh, your awake," a smooth voice drawled from outside his room.

"Yeah," Naruto answered.

"You should go take a shower before we leave to Ichiraku's," Sasuke said as he stepped into Naruto's room. He was completely bare except for that white towel around his waist, showing off his creamy, smooth pale skin and muscled body. His hair was mused and still a bit damp, giving him a sexy, disheveled look.

_'Fuck... He's hot,'_ Naruto mentally freaked out, _'Calm down. You've seen Sasuke naked millions of times in the past, this times no different...'_

"I would take a shower, but I have no clothes," Naruto replied, flatly, taking a sudden interest to his bed.

"You can borrow my clothes," Sasuke replied, noticing that Nagato seemed flustered. _'So, he does think I'm hot... I wasn't just imagining it.__'_

"You sure about that?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, his tone of mild annoyance.

"Thanks, I guess," Naruto muttered.

"I'll go get the clothing," Sasuke said, walking off to his room.

_**'You're gay for your rival,'**_ the fox smirked.

_'No I'm not,'_ Naruto thought, not really sure himself.

**_'Look down at your pants,'_** the fox commanded in an amused tone.

_'Fine,'_ Naruto thought as he looked down. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. _'Are you fucking joking me?'_

_**'You didn't notice that you had a hard on,'**_ the fox chuckled.

_'Shut up!'_ Naruto thought, his face turning a dark shade of pink. He willed himself to think about other things, things that didn't involve sex.

**_'You and the Uchiha would make a good couple, since your polar opposites. Opposites attract, don't they?'_**

_'But, he can't find out about me being Naruto...'_

**_'Why are you hiding in the first place?'_**

_'Because... I faked my death. It was your idea.'_

**_'No, not that. I meant why are you still pretending to be someone that your not? Your old reason was because you thought that everyone would kick you out if they realized who you really were, but now, that's not the case.'_**

_'I... I just can't,' _Naruto thought, clenching his fists. He really didn't know the reason as to why he can't reveal himself. The people who he thought hated him, didn't hate him at all. They did care about him. Maybe, it was just because he was scared of the reactions that he would get. He knew that Sasuke and Sakura would probably feel betrayed and actually start to hate him if he revealed himself. He didn't want that.

**_'Whatever brat. I still think you should tell them.'_**

_'When I'm ready?'_

**_'Whenever you want. I can't make you.'_**

"Are you fine with these?" Sasuke asked, holding up a plain black shirt and black pants. He tossed them to Naruto who caught it in surprise.

_'Of course it's black...'_ "Yeah, thanks," Naruto said.

Sasuke just nodded before leaving.

Heading towards the shower, Naruto pondered about his old friends. If he were to be honest, he missed them a lot. He did look forward to meeting them again, almost as much as he looked forward to the ramen.

Entering the bathroom, Naruto locked the door and stripped out of his pants, realizing that he hadn't worn a shirt in a while. He stared at the reflection in the mirror and felt envy spike through him. He wished that he looked like that. He wished that he had darker hair, darker eyes, a more masculine face, and a more muscled body. He hated looking like how he normally did. His normal self looked like a naive idiot, a ball of sunshine. As a result of that, he was underestimated more times than he could count.

He released the henge and stared at his changing reflection in the mirror. He watched as his muscular henge melted into a smaller, lither form. His pitch black hair turned bright yellow and got a bit shaggier. His almond-shaped, blood red eyes changed into wider, cerulean eyes. His aristocratic nose changed to a smaller, rounder nose. Smooth pale skin was replaced by tanned skin. Three whisker marks formed on his face making him resemble a fox. He looked like an innocent moron, someone who couldn't think for themselves, a follower. He wasn't a follower.

Naruto just sighed and headed towards the shower stall. He stood under the sprayer and turned it on, wincing as he felt cold water fall in contact with his warm skin. As it warmed up, Naruto just stood there thinking about Konoha, thinking about his jumbled feelings.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Tsunade-sama, there's a visitor outside," an ANBU called from outside her office door.

"Hm...? Who?" Tsunade asked, rubbing at her eyes. She had just woken up a few minutes ago, realizing that she hadn't finished her paperwork. '_It can wait another day...' _She had been awake all night trying to figure out a cure for the curse seal that Orochimaru had created. So far, nothing had seemed to work against it.

"He claims to be the Kazekage of Suna. He said that his name's Gaara," the ANBU replied.

_'Gaara...? Oh, why's he here?'_ "Let him in," Tsunade said.

The ANBU unlocked the door and led Gaara in.

"You are dismissed," Tsunade said, straightening up in her chair.

The ANBU nodded before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

"Why are you here? Isn't there a war going on in Suna?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"Tsunade, is the Kitsune Shadow here?" Gaara asked, ignoring her question.

"Answer my question first. I'll answer yours after," Tsunade commanded.

"There is no war going on, it was just a ploy to have the Kitsune Shadow sent here," Gaara replied, staring at Tsunade with piercing sea-foam eyes.

_'So, does this mean that he knows that it's Naruto under the mask?'_ she thought, pursing her lips. She was going to find out. "Why only the Kitsune Shadow? You didn't send anyone else."

"He's a capable ninja. He'll be a strong asset in the fight against Orochimaru," Gaara replied.

"Any other reason?" Tsunade said, her eyes narrowing.

"None," Gaara lied. _'Does she know that it's Naruto under the mask?'_

"Did you know, today's Naruto's birthday?" she questioned, looking for his reaction. She noted that his eyes widened a fraction, but other than that, he looked impassive.

"Yeah, how can I forget about my friend's birthday?"

"Are you here for that?" Tsunade asked.

"Partially. I mostly came here just to see how you're getting along with the Kitsune Shadow. He's a long time friend of mine," Gaara said, looking for her reaction.

"Have you ever seen under his mask?" she asked, bluntly. She wasn't good at being sly, being blunt always worked for her.

"Yes, I've seen under his mask," Gaara said, his eyes narrowing, "Why?"

"So you know, who he is?" Tsunade asked.

"I do," Gaara replied._ 'Is she asking me for his identity or does she already know?'_

"Kazekage, is the only reason why you sent him here is to have him want to stay in Konoha?" she questioned.

'_She knows,'_ Gaara thought, _'So, Naruto showed her?'_ "Yes, I sent him here because I wanted him to come home. You know who he is, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know who he is. I was just wondering if you had a motive in sending him here," she replied, a bit more relaxed than before; Gaara knew.

"Yeah, I want him to stay in his real home. He's been in denial about wanting to stay."

"Yeah. From what I can tell, he hates his old team mates for what they did before."

"He does have reason to, doesn't he?"

"So, your here for his birthday?"

"Just here to visit, I haven't seen Naruto in months. I want to see how he's doing. Do you know where I can find him?"

"He's living in the Uchiha complex with Sasuke."

_'Living with Sasuke?'_ "Are any of them hurt?" Gaara asked, knowing that Naruto loved having fights.

Tsunade sighed and said, "Most likely not. Although, I know for a fact that they hate each other."

"Alright. I'll go visit Naruto."

"Have fun."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Seriously? The only food you have is tomatoes?" Naruto complained, looking through the fridge.

"It's healthy," Sasuke replied.

"So? It doesn't taste good," Naruto retorted.

"Then what do you want to eat?" Sasuke asked, irritated.

"No idea. Something that isn't a weird looking fruit. Or is it a vegetable?," Naruto replied.

"Then starve," Sasuke said, pushing Naruto out of way and grabbing one of the tomatoes. He bit into it and chewed it, giving Naruto a smirk.

"Fuck you," Naruto said.

"You wish," Sasuke blurted out. Woops.

Naruto just gave Sasuke the finger and headed out the door. "I'm going to the grocery store to get some edible food," he called from outside. He expected Sasuke to answer with a "Hn" or for him to follow. What he didn't expect was to bump into Gaara when he wasn't looking.

"Oh. Sorry," Naruto said, sheepishly before noticing that it was Gaara. _'What the... Why's Gaara here?'_

"Long time no see, Kitsune," Gaara said, brushing off his shoulder.

"What...? Why are you here?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide.

"Just here to visit and to celebrate my friend's birthday," Gaara replied.

"Oh, then you should come to Ichiraku's with us!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sure, when?" Gaara asked.

"Today at noon," Naruto said.

"Hey Nagato! Are you still outside?" a voice from inside the Uchiha complex called.

"Yeah. Gaara, let's go in," Naruto said, pointing to the dark, rectangular homes around him.

"Sasuke's home?" Gaara asked. _'Nagato?'_

"Yeah," Naruto said, heading inside. He motioned for Gaara to come in.

_'It seems like Naruto and Sasuke are getting along quite fine...'_ Gaara pondered for a moment before following Naruto in. _'Wow, Sasuke's home is quite dull isn't it?'_ Gaara thought, looking around the house. The walls were gray and black, so was the furniture and just about everything else in the house.

"Why's the Kazekage here?" Sasuke asked with a glare. He really didn't like Gaara at all, ever since the Chuunin Exams.

"Just here to visit Konoha and to celebrate Naruto's birthday," Gaara said, not bothering to glare back at Sasuke. Gaara hated the Uchiha. He disliked how Sasuke thought that he was better than everyone else. He disliked how the Uchiha betrayed Konoha for power. He hated how the Uchiha treated Naruto. He despised Sasuke for hurting Naruto, his first friend.

"Yeah, he's coming with us to that Ramen place or something," Naruto said.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. _'Great, he's coming with us...'_

"We should all go get breaksfast for something," Naruto said, "Since Duckbutt doesn't seem to have anything edible."

_'Duckbutt?'_ "Tomatoes are edible," Sasuke said, "Your just too unhealthy."

"Do you only eat tomatoes?"

"What if I do?"

"Then what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"A lot of things."

"Let him stay here if he doesn't want anything. Let's go Nagato," Gaara said, sighing at his friend's antics. Naruto didn't mature at all, he was still here bickering like an idiot with his old friend/enemy.

"Have fun starving teme," Naruto snapped.

"Bye dobe," Sasuke said before realizing it. It just slid out of his mouth like water. '_Fuck...'_

_'...Did he just call me Dobe?' _Naruto thought, staring at Sasuke as if he had dropped from Mars. Instead of ignoring it and heading out the door, he said, "Dead last? Did you call me dead last?"

"Hn."

"Oh. Thanks, I am," Naruto replied, walking out the door.

"Don't you dare do anything to him," Gaara threatened before following after his friend.

_'He acts like an overprotective boyfriend,'_ Sasuke thought, feeling a strange anger burn through him. He ignored it and just sighed, taking another bite out of his tomato. He wanted to follow Gaara and Nagato to see where they were going, but that seemed like something a stalker would do. He wasn't a stalker. Somehow, Sasuke knew that this was going to be a long day.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"You do know that you forgot to wear your mask right? Or, are you just using the henge instead of the mask?" Gaara asked as they walked through the bustling streets of Konoha.

"Henge," Naruto answered, thinking about what Sasuke had called him earlier. _'Dobe... Did he actually mean that? Or was it a slip of mouth?'_

"So, how's life in Konoha?" Gaara asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"It's fine I guess," Naruto replied, looking around for a suitable restaurant to eat at.

"You and the Uchiha seem to be getting along quite nicely," Gaara noted, looking at Naruto for a sign of reaction.

Naruto just sighed and said, "Not really. I guess we could be considered friends? I know for a fact that he still harbors hate for me."

"For Nagato or for Kitsune?" Gaara questioned, knowing not to say Naruto's name aloud.

"Kitsune. I told him that I killed Naruto," Naruto replied.

"You did that to get a reaction of out them, didn't you?" Gaara said, flatly.

"Yeah, I thought that they would congratulate me or something, but they did the opposite," Naruto replied, thinking back on what had happened just a few days ago with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. They all did care about him. They didn't hate him.

"Of course they don't hate you."

"But... Why did they say those hurtful things to me back two years ago? I just don't understand."

"Do you want to stay in Konoha?"

"I don't know."

"Are you ever going to show them your true face?"

"No. I can't have that," Naruto said, anger and confusion present on his face.

"There's no reason why you can't," Gaara said, stopping to a halt in front of a small restaurant that read Konoha Kafe. "This restaurant?"

"Sure," Naruto said, noticing that it seemed rather new. He'd never been here before, couldn't hurt to try it.

"Nagato," Gaara said, as they walked into the restaurant together. "Your just afraid aren't you?"

It was a cute little place, the walls were a pastel green and there were small, leaf shaped lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The tables were round and white in color. The air smelled like vanilla and strawberry.

"Welcome to Konoha Kafe!" a bubbly, blonde waitress squealed, looking at the two hot men in front of her. She grabbed two menus and headed towards them.

Naruto just nodded and headed to the closest table to the exit. Gaara sat down in the seat opposite of Naruto and stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Oh! There's our special today, the Uzumaki Swirl Cake!" the waitress beamed, handing them each a menu and pointing at a vanilla cake in the shape of a swirl. There were varieties of fruits in between the pieces of cake; oranges, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, mangoes, and raspberries.

_'Uzumaki Swirl Cake?'_ Naruto thought,_ 'What the... Is that cake supposed to be named after me or something?'_

"Uzumaki Swirl Cake?" Gaara asked, looking at her with an amused expression.

"Yeah! It's a cake named after the village savior, Naruto Uzumaki, it's a big hit with the customers! It tastes great," she said, a smile on her face.

"We'll take two," Gaara said, not giving a chance for Naruto to respond.

"Alright!" she beamed, "Anything else?"

"I'll get some coffee, how about you Nagato?"

Naruto just stared at the menu, looking through all the different pastries and drinks. He wasn't all the fond of sweets, rather, having a taste for salty food such as Ramen. "I'll just get a coffee too," Naruto said, setting down his menu on the table.

"Mmkay!" she exclaimed, grabbing the menus and skipping off.

_'Overly enthusiatic much?'_ Naruto thought.

"Nagato."

"Yes?"

"Answer my question."

"Which question?" Naruto asked, not really paying attention from before.

"Are you afraid of revealing yourself? Is that the reason as to why your not willing to stay?" Gaara questioned, staring at Naruto, looking for anything that may prove him correct.

"No... I just rather not. I like my life. I like being alone..."

"You're lying."

"How would you know?!" Naruto shot back.

"You were always one who craved friendship, craved attention. No matter how much you may have changed or claimed to have changed, that was one thing that you still retain. You still want friendship, that's the reason as to why you decided to tell Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi about you killing Naruto. You wanted to see if they really hated you or not. You wanted to know if they still cared about you. You're just confused right now, but there's no reason to be. Nagato, I sent you here because I knew you missed your old friends. I knew that they still cared about you. You can't deny it, with them still celebrating your birthday even after your death."

Naruto was at loss for words, so instead of replying, he got angry, really angry. "No... I don't crave friendship anymore. I lived the past two years of my life alone! I can live alone for the rest of my life! I don't even think that they really do care about me. They probably just pretend to care. Maybe celebrating my birthday is actually them celebrating my death. Laughing at my death," Naruto snapped, knowing that he was spouting half-lies. He just really didn't want them to find out about him being alive, they would hate him for sure. He rather have them still care than have them hate him for telling the truth. Sometimes, you just need to lie.

"You know that's not true..." Gaara said, sighing. Why can't Naruto just agree? Why did he have to be so goddamn stubborn?

Naruto just frowned and muttered, "I'm just afraid..."

"Here!" the girl beamed, placing the cakes on the table. "The coffee's coming in just a second!"

"Alright, thanks," Naruto muttered, grabbing a plate. He didn't exactly feel like eating it, but it was nice to look at. He picked up a fork and started poking at it, not looking at Gaara. He was afraid of the reaction that he was going to get.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. They're your friends, they'll understand."

"But... What if they don't? What if they start to hate me?"

"They won't."

"How would you know...?"

"They care a lot about you. I doubt that they would hate you if you revealed to them that you were alive all this time. They might get mad for a few, but it'll clear up."

"...Maybe I'll tell them. I'll tell them after the conflict with Orochimaru is resolved. I do wonder though, why hasn't he attacked yet?"

"Keep your guard up. He's probably waiting for the ideal time to attack."

"Why can't that stupid snake just stay dead?" Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"Okay! Here's your coffee. I hope you enjoy your meal!" the blonde girl exclaimed, carefully putting the hot mugs of coffee on the table.

"Thank you," Gaara said, grabbing a coffee and taking a drink from it. He liked his coffee black and bitter for some reason.

"Your welcome!" she smiled before heading off to greet other customers.

"You're a lot stronger than Orochimaru is," Gaara said, "Defeating him should be easy."

"I'm not strong. There's no way I could beat Orochimaru," Naruto said, dejectedly, grabbing a coffee and pouring some sugar and cream into it. He watched as it turned from pitch black to a light brown, light interest present on his face. "You should have just sent some Sand Shinobi to help fight against the snake."

"I will, when the attacks start to come," Gaara replied, "And, your not weak at all, Nagato. Stop thinking like that."

"I can't defeat Orochimaru," Naruto insisted, wondering if he should tell Gaara about the curse mark or not.

"Why not? I've never seen you act like this before," Gaara questioned, taking a bite of the cake. It was sweet, but not too sweet. He rather liked the cake, it tasted almost cheerful, like the old Naruto.

"I have a curse mark," Naruto blurted out, not thinking about the consequences.

"How?" Gaara asked, his eyes widening. _'Naruto has a curse mark?'_

"I got it from a snake that Kabuto snuck in," Naruto said, pulling down his shirt to show white bandages. "It's under the bandages."

"What does it do?"

"It just drains my chakra. I won't be as strong as before," Naruto replied, staring at the cake, debating whether he should actually try it. He was content with just the coffee.

"You will defeat Orochimaru. I know you, once your determined to do something, you'll do it," Gaara said, unsure on how to cheer his friend up.

"Thing is, I'm not so determined..." Naruto muttered, popping a piece of the cake in his mouth. As the sweetness assaulted his tongue, he realized that it wasn't half bad. It was actually pretty good.

"Don't say that."

"Whatever. Let's just think about happy things then?" Naruto suggested, tired of berating himself as much as he knew that it was true.

"You got your friends there to help fight with you. You're not alone."

"Thanks, I guess..." Naruto said, eating more of the cake. The more he ate, the more he liked it.

Gaara just nodded and ate the rest of his cake. "Should I call the waitress over for the bill?"

"Sure," Naruto said, drinking some of the sweetened coffee.

Gaara stood up and headed towards her.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

"Can I get the bill?" Gaara asked.

"Of course!" she beamed, giving him the thin piece of paper.

_'8.46 Ryo?'_ Gaara thought, looking down at the paper. Pulling out a crisp 10 Ryo out of his pocket, he gave it to her and said, "No change."

"Oh. Thank you!" she smiled.

Gaara just nodded, walking back to his seat, waiting for Naruto to be done eating.

"Where's the bill?" Naruto asked, finishing his slice of cake.

"I paid for it, let's go," Gaara replied, stepping out his seat and heading out the door.

"What?! No, let me pay!" Naruto said, following Gaara.

"Too late," Gaara said, looking at the sky and estimating that it was around 11 AM.

"Fine! Next time, I'm paying."

Gaara just rolled his eyes and said, "Let's go back to the Uchiha's house."

"Fine."

**-End of Chapter 9-**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **Before I say anything else, I'm sorry for extremely OOC Hinata. Her personality will be based on the Hinata in the movie, Naruto: Road to Ninja. Best Naruto movie ever. Sasuke and Hinata were just a crack up. xD Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Feel free to rate and review!

**Chapter 10 - Birthday**

Naruto, once reaching the Uchiha complex, quickly headed upstairs and went into his room. He knew that he couldn't have the henge around Neji or Hinata, because once they activated the Byakugan, they would know that Nagato was a fake. Naruto couldn't have that. He grabbed the mask that was on the bed stand and pulled it on, wincing at the discomfort of not being able to breath fresh air for a while. He unleashed the henge, and headed downstairs where Sasuke and Gaara were having a heated glaring contest.

"Let's go?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Gaara replied curtly, turning towards his friend.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, walking out the door.

Naruto headed out after Sasuke and felt butterflies in his stomach. He was finally going to meet his old friends, he missed them a ton. He missed Lee and his enthusiasm, missed Kiba and his antics, missed Hinata and her blushing, missed Neji and his smarts, missed Shino and his bugs, missed Tenten even though he barely knew her, missed Ino and her bossiness, missed Chouji and his bag of chips, missed Shikamaru and his laziness, and even missed Sai's constant dick jokes.

Naruto stared up at the sky as they headed to Ichiraku's. It was a beautiful day, the sky was a gorgeous light blue, the sun was high in the sky beaming down on everyone, and fluffy, white clouds were dotting the landscape. It was a day that mirrored cheerfulness and joy. Under his mask, Naruto smiled, he felt joy, he felt like a burden would be lifted from his shoulders. If his friends didn't hate him, if his friends cared for him, then he would stay in Konoha. He wouldn't leave the people that he cared about.

Passing by the open shops, his eyes became downcast as he remembered his horrible childhood. He was brutally kicked out of a shop that he was just looking through for no reason. He remembered the man's words to him, "I don't want a monster in here." Naruto flinched as he saw the same man walk of the shop with a broom ready to sweep the floor.

Naruto felt his hands clench from anger and from despair. He wondered if the man would react the same to him if he just went into the shop and revealed who he was. "Fucking bastard," Naruto hissed from under his breath.

Gaara noticed Naruto's anger towards that one shop that sold finely decorated masks. He noticed the stocky man walking out of the store, ready to open it for a day. Was this one of the places where Naruto was banned from as a kid? He knew his friend well, knowing that Naruto would only react to things that brought on unpleasant memories. Naruto's entire childhood was unpleasant, the same with his. It was no wonder Naruto was rather conflicted with staying in Konoha, his home.

"Sasuke! Nagato!" a feminine voice called from just ahead. Sakura waved at them, a grin plastered all over his face.

"Hey, Sakura..." Naruto said, his eyes closed under his mask, to stop the flow of bad memories that were currently attacking his head. He felt a spark of like towards her, knowing that she didn't hate him as he thought, but he still felt anger at the mention of her name. She was namely the reason as to why he had left Konoha in the first place. His first crush broke his heart. Well, more like crushed it and then burned it, cackling like a witch as she did.

"Gaara?" Ino asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I wouldn't miss Naruto's birthday," Gaara replied.

"Are we the only ones here?" Naruto asked, looking around for any of his friends that he hadn't already seen.

"Yeah, we're here a bit early," Sakura replied, noticing that Nagato had his mask on and that he wasn't insulting her like he normally did.

"Why are you wearing your mask?" Ino asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Because I can," was Naruto's curt reply.

"Hn. You do know that you can't eat with a mask on right?" Sasuke drawled as he ran a hand through his shining, black hair.

_'Fuck... I forgot about that,'_ Naruto thought, angry at himself. He just sighed and said, "I won't be eating anything." His identity was more important than food, even though it was Ramen, Ichiraku's Ramen.

Gaara just chuckled under his breath, of course Naruto would forget. Naruto, although cunning and colder than before, was still a moron at heart. He still embodied the traits that he had as a kid. He was stubborn, unwilling to bend to anyone's will. He was rather rash, not thinking about things before they actually happen. He was still the pranskter kid that he was in the past, just hidden from sight.

"Hey friends," Sai smiled as he neared Ichiraku's. The smile, of course, was a fake one. Sai never smiled genuinely anymore, not since Naruto died.

"Hey Sai," Sakura smiled.

"Hey Ugly," Sai smiled back, watching Sakura turn an unhealthy shade of red. He sort of did harbor a grudge towards her for her mean words toward his deceased friend.

_'Sai still calls Sakura ugly?'_ Naruto thought in amusement, staring at his old friend that would always make unnecessary penis jokes at the worst times.

Before Sakura could punch Sai, an enthusiastic voice shouted in the distance. "Youthful friends!" exclaimed a guy with a black bowlcut, thick, bushy eyebrows, and large round eyes dressed in normal Shinobi wear that was running towards them, a grin all over his face.

_'Lee?'_ Naruto thought, _'He hasn't changed at all.'_

"Sakura-san! You're looking quite gorgeous today! Your eyes sparkle like emeralds and your hair is as pink as a cherry blossom!" he gushed, as he reached her and grabbed her hand, smiling at her.

"Uhm, thanks," Sakura said, a small smile on her face. No matter how weird it was, she did like hearing that she was pretty.

"Ino-chan! Sasuke-kun! Gaara-kun! Sai-kun!" Lee said with a big grin before his eyes zeroed in on Naruto.

"Are you a new friend?" Lee questioned.

Naruto nodded, bracing himself for Lee's greeting.

Lee beamed and grabbed Naruto's hand and shook it violently, "It's nice to meet you! I'm Lee!"

"Nagato," Naruto answered, his hand still getting violently shaken. It was nice to see that some people don't change, no matter what.

"Did anyone else come with you?" Sakura asked.

"Yes! Neji and Tenten are coming. I just couldn't wait to get here, so I went up ahead!" Lee said.

Sakura just nodded.

"You run way too fast," Sai said, bluntly.

"Lee! Wait for us next time!" a high-pitched voice called. A girl with brown hair in two buns ran towards the group of friends, a guy with striking white eyes and long black hair trailing behind her.

"Tenten! Lee! You must meet Nagato! He's so youthful!" Lee exclaimed, pointing at Naruto.

"Uhm, it's nice to meet you?" Tenten offered, her hand out for Naruto to shake.

Naruto shook it and said, "Nice to meet you."

Neji just stared at the man in the mask and asked, "Are you by any chance the Kitsune Shadow?"

Naruto nodded, a bit nervous at the way Neji was staring at him, and said, "My real name's Nagato."

"Oh, I'm Neji Hyuuga, nice to meet you," Neji replied, looking over at the people that were already here. His eyes caught Gaara and they stared for a few seconds before Gaara looked away.

"Where's everyone else?" Tenten asked, looking around.

"Not here yet, they'll be late soon though," Sakura replied.

"Hinata, Kiba, and Shino are here!" Lee exclaimed, pointing to the three figures that were heading towards them.

Sakura felt fear in the pit of her stomach knowing that Hinata still harbored hate for her. Since Naruto's death, Hinata hasn't been the same. She's no longer the shy girl that blushes if someone was to make eye contact with her. She was now more harsh, more realistic in her thinking, but she still kept traces of her old personality that would pop up, time to time.

"Hinata-chan! Kiba-kun! Shino-kun!" Lee exclaimed, his smile getting even wider.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said in a formal tone.

Hinata nodded in acknowledgement before staring at Sakura. Disgust hit her and her lips curled in a sneer. She absolutely hated Sakura, and Sasuke for that matter. They did nothing but hurt her true love, Naruto.

_'Did Hinata just... Sneer at someone?'_ Naruto thought, his eyes wide, staring at her. Her entire outfit had changed, it wasn't nearly as modest as it was before. She was wearing a black mesh bra, black shorts, her usual purple and white jacket, and high heeled sandals.

"What are you staring at?" she hissed, knowing that the masked man was eyeing her.

"Never knew you would dress like a slut, Hinata," Naruto mumbled, under his breath.

"Hinata, this is the Kitsune Shadow," Tenten said, pointing to Naruto.

"Kitsune Shadow?" she questioned, staring at the masked man in front of her.

Naruto nodded and said, "Call me Nagato."

"I hate your name," Hinata said bluntly. _'Your name is the same as Pain of the Akatsuki...'_

"Well, it's nice to meet you too," Naruto drawled, still in shock at Hinata's complete 360.

"Hey guys," Kiba said as he and Akamaru arrived, Shino behind him huddling like a shadow.

"Hey," Sakura smiled, earning a glare from Hinata.

"Is everyone here?" Ino asked, counting the people that were here._ 'Okay, so there's Kiba, Sakura, Nagato, Gaara, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Sai, Shino, Sasuke, and Lee.' _

"Shikamaru and Chouji," Sakura said.

"Oh yeah!" Ino exclaimed, waiting for her boyfriend to come.

"Oh look, Chouji-kun is coming with Shikamaru-kun!" Lee beamed.

"Sorry, that I was late," Chouji said as he neared the place.

Shikamaru just nodded and headed towards Ino, his hands in his pocket.

"Let's go in then?" Sakura questioned.

Everyone gave a small nod or a "yes", everyone but Hinata, who just glared at Sakura.

As everyone entered, Ayame stared at them and asked, "How many people?"

"Fifteen people," Sakura replied, counting one extra space for the late Naruto to sit in, after all, it was his birthday.

"Oh, what's the occasion?" Ayame asked, staring at everyone.

"Naruto's birthday," Ino spoke up.

Ayame's eyes widened, "Oh! Yeah, it's Naruto's birthday isn't it? Hm, 10% off the bill then." She grinned at them.

"Thanks!" Sakura exclaimed with a smile.

"Hm, so fifteen people... Is it alright if you eat at different tables? Or, you can push the tables together to make one big table."

"What do you guys think?" Sakura asked, looking at her friends.

"Doesn't matter to me," Kiba replied.

"Dickless would probably want us to all sit together with him," Sai spoke up from the back, causing everyone to stare at him.

"Dickless?" Naruto asked, faking ignorance as he smiled under his mask. Sai would always be Sai. "What kind of name is that?"

Kiba burst out in laughter and said, "That was Sai's nickname for Naruto."

"That's totally a nice nickname," Naruto said, dryly.

"Okay, so tables together?" Sakura asked, staring at all her friends in question.

"Doesn't matter to me, as long as I sit the farthest from you," Hinata said as she checked her nails for any imperfections.

Sakura bit her lip in frustration. Did Hinata have to be so bitchy to her?

"I agree with Sai-kun! Naruto-kun would want us to sit together!" Lee exclaimed.

"Alright then," Ayame said, "Do you need help with the table?"

"No, we got it," Sakura said with a shake of her head.

"Alright, I'll go get the menus for you guys then," Ayame said as she headed off to the front of the restaurant.

_'This place has really changed, hasn't it?'_ Naruto thought, looking around the eatery. He remembered when this place used to just be a small stand in the corner of the street, but now, it was a full blown restaurant. It seemed to have good business too.

"Are you going to help?" Sasuke asked, staring at Nagato. The guy was just standing there like a stone wall, not moving at all.

Naruto just nodded and headed over to a table that Sakura and Kiba were pulling, offering another hand. They dragged it to a booth at the corner of the room, connecting the two tables. Three tables later, everyone sat down and prepared to eat. Of course, Hinata was at the end, sitting next to the empty seat that was meant for the late Naruto.

_'Hinata still has a crush on me doesn't she?_' Naruto thought, glancing at her. Hinata was staring forlornly at the seat, her lips starting to quiver.

Sakura noticed Hinata staring at the empty chair and felt guilt pool up inside her. She knew that if she was in her shoes, she would probably hate herself as well. After all, Sakura knew that she was the main reason as to why Naruto left Konoha, why Naruto isn't even alive anymore. She felt absolutely horrible for what she had done two years ago. She didn't know the exact reason why she said those hurtful words to Naruto. Maybe it was just the shock of seeing Sasuke again or maybe because she thought that Naruto wouldn't take her words seriously. Who knew that one action would hurt everyone around her, Sakura definitely didn't think that it would have, until it did.

"Here are your menus," Ayame said as she walked to the joined together table and handed everyone a menu. "Just call me when you want to order," she said as she walked off.

"Damn, Hinata, stop staring at that chair like you want to fuck it," Kiba said, jokingly as he looked through his menu.

"Shut up," she snapped, glaring at him with her lavender, white eyes.

"Hinata-chan, cheer up!" Lee said, trying to lighten the mood.

Hinata just glared before giving the finger to Lee. She was beyond pissed off, they should know why she was looking at the chair like that. "I'll stair at this chair all I want."

"Hn. Staring at the chair won't bring Naruto back," Sasuke drawled.

Everyone stared at Sasuke as if he had gone crazy. They knew how touchy Hinata was about Naruto and his death. She would kill if anyone so as talked bad about Uzumaki. Sure enough, Hinata turned red and she snapped, "Fuck you Uchiha. You're one of the fucking reasons why Naruto's dead. So, fuck off."

"Guys, stop fighting," Naruto spoke up, tired of all the fighting that's been going on between his normally peaceful friends. Normally, he would be up for a fight, but he didn't want to make a scene in Ichiraku's.

"This has nothing to do with you," she hissed as she stood up out of her chair. "Unless, you want to fight me too."

"No, don't fight!" Sakura cried out.

"Hinata-sama, stop," Neji pleaded, staring at her.

"Great job Kiba," Ino grumbled, glancing at the Inuzuka.

"I didn't mean for it to go this far," Kiba muttered.

"Just, stop. I don't want a fight. Can't you solve this problem peacefully?" Naruto asked with his hands raised.

Sakura fumed when he said that. _'He doesn't want a fight? He wants to solve the problem of Naruto being dead peacefully? He's the fucking reason why Naruto is dead!'_ "Like you solved the problem of killing Naruto?!" Sakura blurted out, her eyes widening as she finished the statement. _'I really have got to stop blurting things out...'_

"What?" Hinata asked, staring at Sakura with her normally narrowed white eyes wide. "He killed Naruto?"

"Uhm, no..." Sakura said, looking away. _'Oh shit.'_

"You!" Hinata hissed, visible tears forming in her white eyes, she lunged trying to attack Naruto. Neji tried to hold her back, but to no avail, she broke free of his grasp and grabbed Naruto by the neck. She wanted him dead, she wanted him to suffer for making her suffer, for taking away Naruto's life.

"You... You killed Naruto?" Ino asked, her eyes wide.

Gaara just sighed, of course something just had to go on. He looked around and noticed that many civilians were staring at them in horror. "Hinata, let go of him." If she didn't comply then, she would either be dead or injured. He knew that Naruto would defend himself, even if he was against a friend.

"I will, when he's dead," she snapped, flicking her free wrist, causing a sharp kunai knife to come flying out into her hand. She found herself staring at cerulean blue eyes behind the mask, eyes that she vividly remembered. Every detail was the same as Naruto's. _'Is he mocking Naruto?'_ she thought with pure rage. She narrowed her eyes and at him, her hand trembling ever so slightly.

"Stop!" Sakura cried out.

Naruto just huffed and said, "You can't kill me." _'Hinata... I'm so sorry. I made you become like this...'_

"I can and I will!" she snapped, dragging the kunai across his neck slowly, causing blood to trickle down and splatter onto his black shirt. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him begging to die at her feet.

"What are you doing?!" Ayame cried, running towards them. "Stop!"

Sakura pursed her lips, thinking about what she should do. _'I can't attack here. I'll cause major damages. Plus, there's civilians around here...'_

Naruto just sighed, wincing at the feeling of his neck getting sliced. He had felt a lot worse though. He knew that he could easily get out of her grip, but he allowed her to hurt him, just because he felt bad for hurting her. He felt his blood wet his shirt, making it stick to his chest.

"You can't even fight back against her? Tch, weak," Sasuke said, egging Naruto to attack.

Naruto felt her knife digging deeper in his neck. _'It's enough...'_ With a flick of his hand, she flew back into her chair, her eyes wide. Over the years, Naruto had managed to master his power over the wind. He spent a lot of his time training in the forests, trying his hardest to get stronger. With Kurama's help, he had mastered the power of wind as well as unlocked bijuu mode. Although he had a lot of new found power, he still used the Rasengan as his main attacking move.

"Bastard," she hissed, struggling to get out of her seat. Some strange force was keeping her stuck to the chair. She activated her byakugan and her eyes widened at what she saw. His chakra flow was hidden to her eyes, but she could make out a different chakra, a sinister yet familiar one.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Naruto's bleeding neck. A steady flow of blood was slipping down his neck and onto his black shirt. She couldn't help but feel that she was at fault for this. "Do you need me to heal your wounds?"

"I'm fine. I don't need your help," Naruto curtly said, knowing that Kurama will heal his wounds. He promptly got up out of his seat and left the restaurant.

"I'm so sorry Ayame..." Sakura said, staring at the terrified waitress.

"It's fine. Just promise nothing of this sort will happen again?" Ayame said, still a bit pale. "Well, uh, call me when you want to order."

_'Stupid Haruno,'_ Sasuke thought, his eyes narrowed. _'What a fucking hypocrite. You tell me to not reveal that Nagato killed Naruto, but you did. Stupid bitch.'_

"Did... Did he really kill Naruto?" Hinata asked, not staring at Sakura. As soon as Naruto left, she felt the invisible bounds disappear. She was thankful that it was gone, but something was bothering her. _'Why did he let me cut him? He could have defended himself without even trying... And, why were his eyes blue? Blue, like Naruto's... His chakra... Could it be?'_

_'Too late to change their minds,' _Sakura thought, looking at Hinata before answering. "He did."

"And you let him come here when you knew?" Tenten asked, crossing her arms.

"Naruto wanted to die," Sasuke spoke up. "Because of what Haruno had said to him."

"Sakura-san! Why did you destroy Naruto's youth?!" Lee exclaimed, large tears forming in his eyes.

"I... I was stupid," Sakura muttered.

"Finally, you admit it," Hinata hissed, still confused at what just had happened.

"If you guys know that he killed Naruto, tell Tsunade. She'll have him executed for it," Neji stated. He knew that Tsunade cared a lot for Naruto. If she ever found out that Kitsune killed him, she would go bat shit crazy. She would probably even torture the guy to death.

After being quiet for so long, Shikamaru spoke up, "She won't execute him. She won't imprison him either."

"How would you know that?" Ino questioned, her eyebrows raised.

"You saw the way she reacted when she was him unconscious on the floor. She reacted like a mother would to her hurt child."

"I know Tsunade as well. She wouldn't imprison Nagato," Gaara spoke up.

"You don't know until you try. I'm going to go tell her," Hinata snapped, not believing Shikamaru, or rather choosing not to. "I'll be going," Hinata said, standing up from her chair and leaving without another word. She wanted to find that man and ask him why he didn't attack her when he could have. She wanted to ask him if he was who she thought he was. It couldn't hurt to try.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed with a shake of his head.

Ino just glared at him, before speaking up in a forced enthusiastic tone, "Let's just think about positive things. Positive things..."

"Let's just order the food," Chouji said, "I'm starved!"

"Great idea Chouji-kun!" Lee exclaimed, opening his menu and staring at it, trying his hardest to grin.

**-End of Chapter 10-**


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, Side Pairings – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 11- Lake**

Naruto just sighed, feeling a faint pain in his neck. He knew that going to the birthday party, if you could even call it that, was a huge mistake. So much for seeing his friends again. Of course, Sakura just had to ruin it with her big mouth. His respect level went from one out of one hundred to a big fat zero.

As he walked through the streets, he noticed that people were staring at him. Whether it be his mask or his bloodied neck, they were obviously not trying to hide their curiousity. Without a second thought, he ran through the streets, not wanting to be the subject of their scrutinizing stares. Eventually, he found himself in a quiet part of the village, near the lake. He remembered the old days where he would walk past this place and see Sasuke all alone, staring at the still water. He remembered wanting to talk to the Uchiha but not having the nerve to. He sat down at the edge of the lake and put his feet in the water, relishing the cold feeling against his heated skin. He really didn't care that his shoes and pants were getting wet.

"Hey!" a harsh, feminine voice rang out, startling him.

Naruto turned to the source of the voice, feeling a sharp sensation burn his neck, watching as Hinata made her way towards him._ 'What does she want?'_ Naruto thought, inwardly sighing. Was she going to attempt to kill him again?

"I want to ask you a few questions," she said, as she neared him.

"What?" he asked, annoyed. He wanted to be alone for a while, to calm down.

"Why do you wear a mask?" she asked.

"Why not?" he replied, "I rather like this mask."

"Is there anything that you're hiding?"

"No, why would there be?" Naruto thought, on guard.

"Then why wear a mask?" she questioned.

"Because I can," Naruto replied. "Go away."

"Who are you really?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Your chakra signature seems to be familiar."

"Dunno," Naruto replied, staring at the water. He noticed some small koi fish swimming around in the clear water.

"Are you the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi?" she asked.

"Why would I be?" Naruto replied. _'Does she know then?'_

"Because... You have the same chakra as the Kyuubi."

"Oh, is that so?" Naruto drawled, trying to seem like he didn't give a fuck.

"I know who you really are," she said at last. She wasn't exactly sure that he was Naruto, but it couldn't hurt to try to find out.

"Really now?" Naruto asked, his eyebrows raised under his mask. He felt his hands start to sweat and his heart start to pound, but he ignored it. There should be no reason as to why he's feeling so nervous.

"You're... Naruto Uzumaki," she said, hesitating to say the name of her crush. "You have the Kyuubi chakra in you and I saw your eyes under the mask. They're blue, blue just like Naruto's."

_'Am I that bad at hiding my identity?'_ Naruto sighed and said, "When did you activate the byakugan?"

Hinata raised her eyebrows at that, she was expecting him to deny it or tell her to fuck off. "I activated it right before you left Ichiraku's."

Naruto cursed himself for not noticing that. He really should have learned to pay more attention by now. Pulling his feet out of the cold water, he stood up and said, "I guess you're correct Hinata. Heh, I'm really bad at pretending to be someone else, aren't I?"

Her eyes widened at that, she hadn't expected him to admit that he was Naruto. "Y-You're really... Naruto?" she asked, not sure if she was hearing correctly.

Naruto nodded, feeling more blood slip through the wound on his neck. He noticed that the wound didn't seem to be healing as fast as he thought it would have, or even healing at all. If anything, it felt more sore than before. He didn't care though, knowing that he had survived worse wounds.

Hinata, at that very moment, turned a deep shade of red. She felt very self conscious all of a sudden, noticing that she was showing off a lot of skin to her crush. She buttoned her jacket up, fumbling to get the buttons in place. She didn't want him to think she was a slut.

Naruto just chuckled as he watch Hinata turn from a cold, harsh woman to a cute, flustered girl in a matter of seconds.

"N-Naruto-kun... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" she said in a shaky voice.

"It's fine. I deserved it," he said, his head starting to feel a bit dizzy for a moment.

"But... Naruto-kun! You didn't deserve it at all! It's not your fault for doing what you did! It was Sakura's, wasn't it?!"

"It is my fault. I lied and pretended to kill myself. I do deserve it. Besides, the fox will heal the wound anyways," Naruto sighed, putting a hand to his head.

"But, you're still bleeding!" she exclaimed, staring at the blood that was spreading throughout his black clothing. It wasn't so noticeable if it wasn't for the ripped cloth in the neck area, revealing a deep cut oozing out fresh blood. "We have to get you to the hospital!"

"They'll tear off my mask," Naruto said, bluntly. "I would henge, but I'm not so sure it would hold. I feel weaker than before, not just because of the wound, but because of my lowered chakra levels."

"T-Then what do we do?" Hinata panicked._ 'It's all my fault... I hurt him...'_

"I guess I'll have to go visit the Hokage," Naruto said, noting that it was a bit odd that his wound hadn't started to close yet. "One sec."

_'Hey! Kurama, you there?'_ Naruto thought, wondering if everything was all right with the grumpy, old fox.

After a minute of silence, Naruto just gave up and said, "Let's go."

Hinata nodded, her face still a bit red. She walked side by side with him, gazing at his masked face.

"Uhm... Is it to much to ask for you to show me your face?" she asked, before she turned red. "I mean you don't have to... I-I'm just a b-bit curious."

Naruto glanced around, looking to see if anyone was there. He couldn't identify anyone being here, but he couldn't take chances. "Hinata, can you activate your Byakugan to see if anyone's around here?"

"Sure!" she exclaimed before she turned on her Byakugan, veins forming near her eyes. She looked around and saw that no one was near the area. "No one's here."

Knowing that Hinata wouldn't lie to him, Naruto pulled off his mask, careful to keep his hood on.

Hinata stared at the man in front of her, taking in the entire sight. The spiky blond hair, the cerulean blue eyes, the smooth, tan skin, and the three lines on his cheeks making him resemble a fox, and a cute one at that. It was the face that she had longed to see for so long. "Thank you, Naruto-kun..."

Naruto nodded and pulled the mask back onto his face and began walking again. "Nothing to thank me for."

"It's just... I missed you a lot," Hinata said, "Just seeing your face again makes me feel re-energized."

Naruto raised his eyebrows at that and just kept walking towards the Hokage Tower.

"So... Is there any reason why you're hiding your identity?" Hinata questioned, glancing at Naruto. "I mean... You don't have to answer it or anything," she said quickly, noticing that he wasn't answering.

"To be honest, I don't know," Naruto admitted, "It just seems easier to hide, ya know? Everyone thinks I'm dead anyways."

"But, you don't know how much everyone has missed you! Konoha became a different place once you left," Hinata argued, "There's no reason to hide from the people you care for!"

Naruto just chuckled, dryly, and said, "I... I'm just confused right now. Maybe I will tell everyone, maybe not."

Hinata just pursed her lips and said, "Okay..."

The rest of the walk to the Hokage Tower was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Hinata really wanted to ask more questions, but she knew that Naruto wasn't much into answering them. He'd probably just get annoyed with her, and that was the last thing she wanted.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Reaching the tower, they entered and headed to the Hokage's office. Naruto went and knocked on the door, waiting to see if Tsunade would answer. If she didn't then, well he'd probably bleed to death, not that he really cared.

"Who is it?" a Tsunade asked from inside the office.

"Kitsune Shadow," Naruto replied.

After a few seconds of waiting, the door was unlocked and Naruto headed in, Hinata following after him. He spotted Tsunade heading back to her desk where a huge stack of papers were located.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows, "What's Hinata doing here?" She wasn't expecting Naruto to have someone with him.

"She came with me," Naruto replied.

Tsunade just nodded before noticing that Naruto's neck was slashed. Her eyes widened as she saw the thick, red blood run down his black shirt. "What...? Who did that?!"

"Can you just heal it?" Naruto asked.

"Not until you tell me who did it!" Tsunade snapped.

"I did it," Hinata spoke up, "It's all my fault."

"What?!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"It's not her fault," Naruto sighed, "It's mine. I provoked her."

"Naruto-kun!" she protested. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. She wasn't supposed to say that. Dammit, Naruto was really going to hate her now. "I-I mean Kitsune Shadow!"

Tsunade just raised an eyebrow. She stared at Hinata and asked, "So you know?"

"She knows," Naruto answered. "She figured it out just today."

"Why'd she cut you in the neck though?" Tsunade asked.

"I told her that I killed myself," Naruto said, flatly.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out.

"It's fine," Naruto said, sighing. "It was my fault. Don't blame yourself."

"Kitsune, come here," she said, motioning for him to come closer.

Naruto nodded and headed towards Tsunade.

"Shouldn't the Kyuubi be able to heal you? If I recall correctly, any cuts you get heal within a day or two. The cut on your neck seems to have gotten worse, not better," she asked as she stared at the deep wound in his tan neck. The skin around it was turning a nasty purple color and the cut itself seemed to still be bleeding, heavily. She focused chakra onto his hand and put it on his neck, watching the deep cut start to close. Eventually, it faded to a long, light scar that could hardly be seen.

"Something's wrong with the fox," Naruto stated.

Tsunade pursed her lips and said, "Let me see. Naruto, take off your shirt. I need to check the seal."

Hinata colored at that. Naruto noticed and said, "Hinata, you don't have to stay in here if you don't want to. You can go back to Ichiraku's if you'd like."

Hinata shook her head and said, "I want to be here with you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto just nodded and took off his shirt, revealing a tanned, toned body. He closed his eyes under the mask and focused chakra to the invisible seal. In a matter of seconds, a black swirled seal with intricate designs appeared on his abdomen.

Tsunade prodded the seal, noting that it looked a lot lighter than it had before. She could hear Naruto panting to keep the seal visible. "The curse seal. It's draining your chakra as well as the foxes."

Naruto opened his eyes and breathed heavily. "Stupid Orochimaru... I won't be a help to Konoha then. This seal..." Naruto placed a hand on the bandage wrapped seal in the back of his neck.

"I know that the chakra is going to Orochimaru. If you kill him or if anyone kills him, then your chakra will be back to normal."

"What's with the fox though? He doesn't seem to be answering me."

"You're chakra connection is probably lost."

"What happens then?" Naruto questioned, pulling on his shirt, well, Sasuke's shirt.

"We need to kill Orochimaru as fast as possible. If it goes on any longer, the fox and you will no longer be the same being."

"You mean, the fox will come out?" Naruto gaped. "But... How is that possible?"

"Your seal is weakening. Naruto, don't use and chakra. Try to prolong the seal's draining."

Naruto nodded, feeling a bit down. He wasn't going to be much help anymore was he? "I'm useless. Why am I still even here?"

"Naruto, you're staying here. I'll go send some ANBU to fight against Orochimaru. Don't worry about it. He will be taken down," Tsunade promised, not so sure herself.

"Right..." Naruto muttered, "I'll be going then. Thanks Granny."

"I'll keep you updated if I ever manage to find the cure for it," Tsunade said, watching Naruto leave the room.

Naruto nodded and turned around, "Thanks." He left the office, his body language rather sullen.

Hinata spoke up, "Bye Lady Hokage." She followed after him, her expression filled with worry.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Naruto-kun, where are you going?" she asked, catching up to him. They exited the Hokage tower and just stopped moving.

"I don't really know. Just somewhere to think I guess..." Naruto replied, "Today wasn't a good day."

"Let's go back to the lake?" she offered.

"Alright," Naruto said, "It's over there right?" Naruto pointed to the east.

"Mhm," Hinata said. She was excited to be able to hang out with Naruto for a while longer. She pondered if she should tell him that she loved him, but she knew that it wasn't exactly the right time. Her heart ached and told her that she should go for it, but she didn't know if she should. What if he still had feelings for Sakura?

"Let's go," Naruto said, walking off in that direction.

They walked in silence until Hinata got the nerve to talk to Naruto. "Do you still like Sakura?"

Naruto shook his head and answered, "No, not at all. I don't even know why I liked her in the first place. She's done nothing for me. She's not a competent ninja nor a competent friend. All she cares about is her looks and her "Sasuke-kun." I'm not sure if you know, but she was the main reason why I left the village."

Hinata just smiled and said, "She doesn't deserve someone like you... You were always the kindest person alive. You would do anything for anyone, even for a stranger that you didn't know."

"Heh, not so sure about that anymore..." Naruto said, as they reached the lake. The lake where he remembered seeing Sasuke all alone as a kid. He reached the edge and sat down. He stared at the shiny, clear water, smiling at how peaceful the day was. It was the complete opposite of what he felt inside though.

"Naruto..." Hinata mumbled, sitting next to him.

"Yes?" Naruto asked.

"Can you take off your mask again?" she asked, staring at his face behind the mask.

"I can henge and take it off if you'd like," Naruto said, "I can't really show my actual face."

"It's fine. I just... I just want to tell you something," Hinata said, her face reddening. She was going to tell him that she loved him now that she knew that he didn't like Sakura.

Naruto nodded. He had a slight idea of what Hinata was going to do. He wasn't so sure though. He henged and took off his mask.

Hinata raised her eyebrows, "You look really different."

"Yeah. I do wish that I looked more like my henge than my normal self," Naruto said, more to himself than to her.

"Why?! You're really attractive in your normal form!" Hinata argued. How could Naruto not like himself?

"Eh, I just get underestimated a lot. People think of me as the idiotic, energetic blond that has the IQ of a peanut. I admit though, I was like that until I decided to just stop being stupid. I just wanted an image change and I guess this henge holds true to it," Naruto explained.

Hinata felt angry when Naruto talked so bad about himself. Naruto was perfect the way he was! Nothing would change that. "Naruto, you're perfect just the way you are! I love you and I'm sure that many others do too," she blurted out. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned in for a kiss.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw her lean closer to him. Their lips met and Naruto just froze. Sure, he liked Hinata as a friend, but as something more than that? Naruto pulled back, rather quickly, and said, "Hinata... I'm sorry."

Hinata stared at him with a sad yet wistful expression. "I know. I just can't help but love you... I knew that you wouldn't return my feelings."

**-End of Chapter 11-**


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, **Side Pairings** – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **This fic will probably be around 24 or 25 chapters long if I don't change the plot of it along the way. So, as of right now, it's halfway done!

**Chapter 12- Grave**

Sakura's eyes widened as she peered at the scene in front of her. Was that Hinata and Nagato kissing?

"What's wrong Sakura?" Kiba asked, noticing her stop. He turned around and stared at her with a quizzical expression, Akamaru stopping with him.

"Look," she pointed to the figures below her, near the lake.

"Is that Hinata and Nagato?" Ino asked, squinting to get a better view. The bright sun was in the way of her vision.

"I thought that they hated each other, but now their kissing?!" Sakura exclaimed. She watched as Nagato pulled out of the kiss, a second after it started.

"Hn. Stop eavesdropping," Sasuke said.

"We're not if their doing it in public!" Sakura shot back, fixated at the two.

"He killed Naruto. She loved him. So, why the fuck are they getting so mushy now?" Kiba asked, "Makes no sense."

"Maybe because he has a dick," Sai spoke up, a fake smile adorning his face.

Gaara just stared at the two down at the lake, they seemed to be talking about something private._ 'Naruto told Hinata?'_

Neji had a faint frown on his face. Hinata loved Naruto's murderer?

"Hn. I know for a fact that Naruto has a dick," Sasuke spoke up.

"Really now?" Sai asked. "Wonder what you guys did..."

"Hot springs. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Uhm, let's just go to visit Naruto-kun's grave!" Lee spoke up, a bit disturbed that they talking about Naruto's private parts.

"Sure..." Sakura muttered, still staring at Hinata and Nagato. They were huddling close to each other. _'Is Nagato a playboy or something?' _She immediately ruled that off as being stupid, he didn't seem to be that type of person. But, who knows?

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Hinata... I'm sorry," Naruto muttered. "I like someone else."

She just smiled and said, "It's fine Naruto-kun. I knew that I never had a chance with you..."

Naruto nodded, staring at the lake, smiling at the memories that came with it.

"So, who do you like?" Hinata asked. She knew that it couldn't be Sakura, maybe it was Ino?

Naruto stared up at her and replied, "You'd probably stare at me like I was nuts."

"I would never do that!" she exclaimed.

Naruto just smirked and said, "I'm gay." He supposed that he shouldn't say it so casually, but he owed her something. He's always knew that she had a crush on him, but he ignored it, thinking that it would fade eventually. He felt bad, so he might as well tell her the truth.

Hinata did not expect that. By the way he said crazy, she thought he probably meant that he was in love with Tsunade or something, but she didn't expect this. With raised eyebrows, she asked, "Who?" She already had a sinking feeling on who it was.

"Sasuke..." Naruto muttered. "At least, I think I do."

She knew it. Sasuke was the only person that Naruto really believed in, no matter what. Naruto never gave up on his best friend/rival. Anyone could see that Naruto had more than friendly feelings, but she didn't expect him to be so outright about it. She thought he would have hated him for being a horrible friend and for making him leave the village.

She smiled, sadly, before a thought popped into her head. "Oh!"

"Hm?" Naruto looked up at her with a questioning gaze.

"You know Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course." Naruto stared at her as if she had gone mad. "They're my teachers."

"They got together as a couple just a few months ago!" she grinned.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, his henged, ruby red eyes wide. "I didn't even know that they knew each other!"

"Au contraire, they knew each other for a long, long time. They've kept a watch on you when you were younger," Hinata explained.

"Kept a watch on me... That sounds borderline creepy," Naruto laughed. _'So Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are gay?'_

Hinata grinned back and said, "They really care about you. Iruka broke down into tears when you were found dead. Well, your clone, was it?"

"Yeah, it was a clone," Naruto said. "I do miss those two. Kakashi being his perverted lazy self and Iruka being there for me when everyone else hated me. He even took a huge shuriken for me back in the Academy days. He's like my dad in a way."

"You should go to them for advice," Hinata offered, "I doubt that they'll deny it."

"Well, Kakashi knows that I "killed" myself. If Iruka found out, he'll probably try and kill me," Naruto said, sighing. He was contemplating visiting the two, and asking for advice, but he would have to show them his identity first for the two to even talk to him.

"I would just show them who you are," Hinata said, "It makes it easier that way."

"Eh, I'll think about it. I'm not even sure myself that I even like Sasuke," Naruto frowned.

"How do you feel around him?" Hinata asked.

"I dunno. Like, my heart skips a beat sometimes and I get nervous sometimes, but most of the time, I just want to beat his stupid face in."

Hinata laughed and said, "That's love alright, more like rivalry love, but still love."

Naruto just shrugged and said, "Well, he's my best friend, if you can even call us that. I don't even think he has feelings for me or anyone for that matter. He broke the bond of friendship with me when he went to Orochimaru for power."

"He does care a lot about you. He may not show it, but he does."

"How so?" Naruto asked, "He probably still resents me for bringing him back. Like, I did tell him that I killed myself and he did get mad and such, but I still don't know."

"Well, he didn't leave Konoha when you dragged him back, forcefully," she replied.

Naruto just didn't answer. He was out of it. Konoha had really changed while he was gone.

"Well, I'm guessing they're done eating," Hinata said, noticing his silence.

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Kiba, all them," Hinata said.

"What about it?" Naruto asked, confused. Why would she mention them?

"Well, they're probably visiting your grave right now."

Naruto raised his eyebrows and asked, "How do you know?"

"It's kind of a custom that started last year. For your birthday, we eat at Ichiraku's then we visit your grave and say our prayers and stuff like that. Then, we leave for home," she explained. "Sakura started it."

"Does Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei go there?" Naruto asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, they go there everyday," Hinata said.

"Oh, maybe I'll see them there!" Naruto grinned, "Let's go!" He pulled on his mask and stood up, stretching a bit.

Hinata smiled, _'So enthusiastic... Like the old Naruto.'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Are you getting better, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked, staring at the Sannin.

"Yes. I'll soon be able to get the Kyuubi," Orochimaru stated. He was still in bed, his body too fatigued to be able to move without effort.

"When?" Kabuto questioned.

"Just a few more days. I can feel the chakra from the Kyuubi boy flowing into me. Soon, we'll get the Kyuubi, itself," Orochimaru sneered.

"Alright, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said, bowing his head, a smirk on his pale face.

"How are the undead ninja experiments going?" Orochimaru asked, staring at his right-hand man.

"It's being perfected. It'll take a few more days as well," Kabuto stated. "Do we unleash them when we go to Konoha to retrieve the boy or do we unleash them afterwards?"

"After we get him under our clutches. He can still do quite some damage even if his chakra is exhausted," Orochimaru said.

Kabuto nodded and sneered, "Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun will be ours."

Orochimaru smirked back. "And Konoha will be destroyed."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sasuke stared at Naruto's grave and felt a strange sadness run through him. As much as he hated to admit, he missed the dobe a lot. Nothing was the same when the blonde idiot left. "Hn, Dobe. Great job getting yourself killed," Sasuke muttered, placing the sunflowers he had gotten from Ino's shop onto Naruto's grave. He had chosen sunflowers because they reminded him of the dobe, both were bright and sunny.

He glanced over at Sakura who was trying hard not to break down in tears. He supposed that he should feel a bit of pity towards her, but he didn't. Deep down, he still blamed her for making Naruto leave, even though it was partially his fault as well as Tsunade's.

"Who the fuck invited Kitsune to come with us anyways?" Kiba asked, placing down his flowers. Before going to the graveyard, they headed to Ino's store where she let each of them choose a bouquet of flowers for Naruto's grave. He had chosen some orange roses for his friend.

"I did," Ino spoke up. "I didn't know that he had killed Naruto... I just thought it'd be cool to invite the S-rank Assassin and maybe help him tour the city. I never thought that he was the one that put an end to Naruto's life."

"Maybe he hadn't killed Naruto," Shikamaru suggested, glancing at Ino with a bored but somehow worried expression. He felt that something was off with Hinata. She looked as if she had hope in her eyes when she left the restaurant.

"It never occurred to me that he was lying," Sakura admitted, staring at Naruto's grave. She felt a fresh wave of guilt hit her. Staring at his grave still hurt as much now as it had hurt back then when he had just perished. She had played a role in killing her best friend just because of a stupid fangirl crush on someone who tried to kill her and Naruto multiple times. She had the sudden urge to exhume Naruto just so she can see his face, one more time. She missed his foxy grins, his cheery demeanor, his big heart, and just about everything that made him Naruto.

"Are you guys visiting Naruto too?" a masculine voice asked from behind them. Iruka headed towards them, Kakashi next to him.

"Yeah, it's his 18th birthday," Sakura smiled, grimly.

"It's really been two years since he left, hasn't it?" Iruka asked, softly.

"Yeah..."

"Man, I miss Dickless a lot," Sai sighed.

"Don't we all?" Kiba grinned, "He was always the craziest of us all."

"Naruto-kun was the epitome of youth!" Lee cried out.

Shikamaru turned around and noticed a lone blonde figure heading towards them. "Lady Hokage's coming too."

"Of course she would. He's like the son she's never had!" Ino exclaimed.

"Naruto, why'd you have to get yourself killed? Why'd you have to leave the people that care about you?" Sakura muttered, her emerald eyes clouded with tears as she stared at his tomb.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Should I go buy some flowers for your grave?" Hinata asked as they made their way to the graveyard.

"Don't, there's no point," Naruto replied, "I'm not even dead anyways."

"That's not what others think. It'll be less suspicious this way," Hinata pointed out.

"Who cares?" Naruto asked, more to himself than to her. "I don't think it matters if you bring flowers or not. They're just going to rot on the tomb."

Hinata frowned at that and said, "Alright then."

Naruto sighed and said, "Sorry if that sounded a bit harsh."

"No, it's fine... Nagato," she said, trying out the name. "By the way, why'd you choose Nagato out of all the names you could have chosen? Isn't Nagato the leader of the Akatsuki?"

"He wasn't a bad guy. He just wanted peace, but he had a twisted way at trying to get it. About the name, it was the first thing that popped into my mind. So, I figured, why not?"

"I just have one more question," she said. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Go ahead," Naruto replied.

"Have you ever... Killed anyone?" she questioned.

Through his mask, Naruto winced. "Yeah, I've killed a lot of people."

"Innocents?" Hinata asked, her voice a bit shaky. Would Naruto do that?

"No, they were all shinobi."

"How... How does it feel to kill someone?" Hinata asked. She noted that he flinched at that and quickly said, "Never mind, don't answer that."

"It's fine. Well, I don't feel much anymore. The first time I killed someone, I had nightmares for weeks. I was haunted by the fact that I took someone's life, but after that, I didn't feel anymore. I've been accustomed to killing people. I... I'm not the same anymore, no matter how much I want to be."

"You still retain some of your old traits," Hinata said. "Like, you're still kind hearted, you're still willing to listen to others, and you still do care about people you don't even know. You are a bit darker though, I'll admit that."

Naruto smiled at her through the mask. "Thanks. I just wish I could reverse time and still be the dumb idiot that I was before."

"You still can be," Hinata reassured.

Naruto just put his head down and muttered, "One can hope."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, what are you doing here?" Tsunade asked with raised eyebrows.

"To visit Naruto-niisan!" Konohamaru replied, "I gotta show him my improvements on Sexy no Jutsu and Rasengan!"

"Don't you dare do Sexy no Jutsu," Sakura hissed. If he did, she would personally go over there and smack him upside the head.

"Fine, I won't," he huffed. "Oiroke: Otokonoko Dōshi no Jutsu (Sexy: Boy on Boy Technique)!" Konohamaru called out, a few seconds later. In a puff of smoke, Sasuke and Naruto appeared, both naked and sweaty. Sasuke was on top of Naruto, their bodies pressing against each other in a suggestive way.

"Cool huh?" Konohamaru smirked, in the form of Naruto.

"No! Stop that!" Sakura yelled, blood dripping down her nose.

"Sakura, you're bleeding," Sai pointed out. "Huh, not me this time?"

"That's kind of hot," Ino squealed.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed.

"Konohamaru! That's not appropriate," Iruka scolded. He glanced at Kakashi who had a perverted smile on his face. _'Oh dear.'_

Sasuke turned around and his eyes widened as he took in the scene; He and Naruto were both naked and pressed up against each other. He felt desire build up in his lower body and shook his head before resuming to stare at Naruto's grave. What the fuck did Naruto teach that kid?

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"What the... Hell," Naruto said, dumbstruck. He and Hinata had just gotten to the graveyard to see Konohamaru change into both him and Sasuke. He felt a strange longing in the pit of his stomach as he watched the jutsu take place. He groaned and scolded himself for being such a pervert. Next to him, Hinata giggled.

"Aw, that's kind of cute," she smirked.

Naruto just shook his head and sighed.

As everyone gaped at Konohamaru, Tsunade noticed that Naruto was watching them in the back, probably in shock. She mentally laughed and said, "Nagato, why are you here?"

All eyes turned to Naruto, even the cloned Sasuke and Naruto. Great.

"Why not?" he replied. He glanced at Konohamaru and drawled, "Can you stop that? It's rather disturbing. My virgin eyes are burning."

Hinata just rolled her eyes next to him. "Virgin, my ass."

"Why are you here?! So you can laugh at Naruto?!" Ino exclaimed, heatedly as she glared at the masked man.

"Not my idea to come here," Naruto said, gesturing to Hinata.

Gaara smirked at that. Naruto just had to come that moment Konohamaru decided to use that jutsu. He could imagine his friend's shock at seeing Sasuke and himself nude.

"Who are you?" Konohamaru asked, changing back into his normal form.

Iruka narrowed his eyes at the masked man and said, "You're the Kitsune Shadow, I presume."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah."

At that, Iruka's calm demeanor melted. His eyes widened and he yelled, "You... murderer!" He clenched his teeth and hissed, "I'm going to kill you!" He advanced towards Naruto, a kunai slipping into his hand with a flick of his wrist.

Naruto glanced at Kakashi and said, "You told?"

Kakashi just stared before replying, "I don't lie to the people I love."

"Total bs," Naruto muttered. _'Iruka-sensei...'_

"Don't fight," Tsunade commanded, stepping in Iruka's way. She mentally yelled at herself for being stupid enough to call Naruto out. The sake was really getting to her mind.

"But..." Iruka hissed, his eyes narrowed. He did stop at Tsunade's command though.

"There's no reason to fight right now," she said. "Or ever."

Sasuke stared at them from the corner of his eyes. '_So Nagato's here...'_

Sakura wiped the blood off her nose and said, bluntly, "Why were you and Hinata kissing?"

"You saw that, Haruno?" Hinata questioned, lacking her usual venom.

"Yeah."

"Did you hear anything?" Hinata asked. If they had heard, then they knew about Naruto.

"No," Sakura replied, a bit dumbstruck that Hinata didn't curse her out. She noted that Hinata seemed a bit more relaxed and that her jacket was buttoned up all the way. What the hell was going on?

"Oh, okay then," Hinata smiled. She glanced at Naruto for a second, noticing his silence.

Naruto just stared at all the people around him, feeling joy swell up in his heart when he saw that most of his friends were there, visiting his grave. They did care about him. He had the urge to just rip off his mask and say that he was Naruto Uzumaki, but he restrained himself. He would do that after he defeats Orochimaru. Well, if he defeats the old snake.

**-End of Chapter 12-**

**Oiroke: Otokonoko Dōshi no Jutsu - Translates to Sexy: Boy on Boy Technique. It was used in Chapter 347 in the manga. Instead of Naruto and Sasuke, it was Sai and Sasuke. What a shame. ; u ;**


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary** – Naruto, after being betrayed by the people closest to him has left the Village of the Hidden Leaf. Two years later, Naruto, under the guise of the infamous Kitsune Shadow, has returned to save Konoha from an impending war and to possibly fall in love in the process?

**Main Pairing** – SasuNaru, **Side Pairings** – one-sided NaruSaku, one-sided NaruHina, ShikaIno, KakaIru, and NejiGaara.

**Rating** – M. If you don't like gay couples then don't read!

**Warnings** – Yaoi, Violence, Sex, Rape (?), and Sakura Bashing to some extent.

I do not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does!

**Author Notes- **Okay, I sort of like... Give up with chapter names. ; u ; Beware of cheesy chapter names to come!

**Chapter 13- Overuse **

"Tsunade, you know about the seal on Naruto's neck right?" Gaara questioned as he sat on the couch, across from her.

"Yeah," Tsunade replied. "He told you?"

"Yes. I want to know more about it," Gaara stated, bluntly. "What exactly does it do?"

"It drains his chakra," Tsunade said. "Other than that, it doesn't seem to do anything."

"The chakra's going to Orochimaru, I'm guessing," Gaara said. "Am I right?"

"Yeah, it's going to the snake."

"How's Kyuubi doing then?" Gaara questioned.

"The seal is weakening. It might not hold for long."

Gaara pursed his lips and said, "The seal will hold longer if nothing happens to Naruto's body, both physically and mentally."

"Naruto's body? As in injuries?" Tsunade questioned.

"Injuries can be fatal, but it won't weaken the seal. The three things that can cause the seal to weaken are suppressed emotions, childbirth, and sex. Since Naruto is male, childbirth should be no problem. Sex shouldn't be too much of a problem as well since I doubt Naruto would willingly do that with anyone. But, suppressed emotions can be. Naruto's been holding back his feelings towards this village and it's inhabitants for a long time. If it goes on much longer then the seal will be able to break, releasing the Kyuubi," Gaara explained.

"Suppressed emotions? How does that contribute to the seal's weakening? The seal is a physical item, not a mental one."

"It causes the body's security to be weakened. Stress, for example, can cause the body to overwork itself. Since the Kyuubi is locked in a cage within Naruto, if Naruto's body starts wearing down, the cage will too. The Kyuubi has a chance of breaking out or even taking full control of Naruto's body and actions. Also, if Naruto keeps on using his chakra, eventually the cage will crack too. Prolong the seal until we have time to kill Orochimaru. And, to be honest, if the Kyuubi does come out, then the seal will be able to control Naruto's entire being. Meaning, Orochimaru will be able to control Naruto fully."

"How do you know all this?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"I was a jinchuuriki myself. I was on good terms with the One-Tails, so he told me things about the way the seal works with the body of the vessel."

"What can we do to stop it? I know that using chakra will cause the seal to work faster, but how can we completely stop the seal from taking over?" Tsunade asked. It sounded like a hopeless cause, Naruto was always one who showed his emotions. Whether it be anger or joy, he always showed it.

"There's nothing we can do. The seal will continue to break, unless Orochimaru can be defeated. I'm sure you know that."

"Yeah, but as of right now, we have no idea where Orochimaru is."

"He's waiting for the right time to attack. I'm guessing he will soon enough."

"We'll be ready then?"

"Yes. We'll be there to kill the old Sannin and to save Naruto."

"Wait," Tsunade said. "I forgot to tell you something about the seal."

"What about it?"

"The Kyuubi isn't connected with Naruto as much as before."

"How so?" Gaara asked.

"It didn't heal Naruto when we was hurt and Naruto reported that he had no contact with the fox anymore," Tsunade said.

"Then the cage is already starting to break..." Gaara trailed off, his sea-foam eyes wide. "It's almost too late. He must not use anymore chakra, but if he does then... He's through."

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

_'Should I really visit Iruka...?'_ Naruto thought as he shifted his position in bed. He had just woken up a few minutes ago and was immediately plagued with worry. He knew that he felt something special for Sasuke. It was the entire reason why he'd been so determined to get the Uchiha back to Konoha a few years ago. He had always thought that it was because of their strong bond together and the fact that Naruto didn't want the bond to break, but it was something entirely different. It wasn't friendly love, it was romantic love. _'Great... I'm turning into another fanboy.'_

Naruto vaguely wondered if Sakura knew about the extend of his feelings towards the Uchiha. He shook that off as ridiculous. He knew that if she found out about him being in love with the Uchiha, he'd never live it down. Sakura wasn't a cruel girl, but she was a loud, assertive one. He didn't even know why he had a crush on her back in the day.

Naruto shut his eyes and pulled his blankets closer to him. He told himself to think about Sasuke later and that he'd proclaim his feelings when everyone knew who he was, if he could even hold that long. With a sigh, he sat up and headed to the bathroom to wash up for the day.

He soon headed downstairs and found that it was empty._ 'So Sasuke's still asleep.' _

Deciding against waking the Uchiha up, he headed outside for some fresh air. As much as he knew that he wasn't supposed to, he wanted to train. Whenever he trained, he felt the struggles of real life disappear. He felt free. He could do whatever he wanted.

He ran through the forests at a brisk speed, feeling himself tire out a bit too quickly. He shook his head and kept running until he found a nice, lush patch of forest. He supposed that he shouldn't just go around destroying trees, but it was the way he and a lot of other shinobi trained.

Forming a rasengan, he threw it to the tree and watched as the large oak snapped in half with a satisfying crunch. He didn't expect someone to jump out from behind it and for a kunai to come launching towards him. He dodged it, staring at the figure that threw it at him. Was it an enemy shinobi?

It wasn't an enemy at all. It was Sakura, holding a twine basket full of herbs. She looked on with caution before her eyes landed on Naruto.

"What the fuck was that for?!" she demanded, glaring at him.

"I didn't know that you were there," Naruto said, calmly. "I was simply practicing my attacks."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that and said, "Aren't you like... Not supposed to use up anymore chakra?"

"If I die faster, isn't that a good thing for you?" Naruto questioned, surprised at the way she reacted. He had expected her to tell him to use all his chakra so he would die slowly and painfully. Apparently not.

"Gosh! Why do you hate me so much?" she demanded. "I'm not that cruel a person!"

"Really now?" Naruto asked with raised eyebrows. He had his mask on, so she couldn't see his facial expression.

"Yeah! I just kind of want all of us to get along!" she exclaimed. "You're just so keen on hating me. I admit though, I don't like you so much either but I don't want us to fight either. You may have killed Naruto, but you don't seem to be that bad a guy."

"Thanks?" Naruto said, phrasing it more as a question than a statement.

"So... What attacks are you working on?" she asked. For some reason, she felt a spark of like towards the man in front of her. She felt like he was someone that she knew, but she just couldn't place who it was.

"Just Rasengan," Naruto said.

Sakura pursed her lips. Rasengan was Naruto's attack, not Nagato's. "You really managed to copy it from Naruto-kun?"

_'Since when did she use Naruto-kun?'_ "Yeah. It was a rather easy move, if I were to be honest," Naruto said. He formed one in his hand, the blue chakra flowing in all different directions, creating a condensed ball.

A sudden wave of pain smashed into him a second after he summoned the Rasengan, causing him to crumple onto the ground. Sharp pain attacked him, all of it coming from the curse mark on his neck. He shut his eyes and forced himself up on shaky feet. He's endured worse than this. Hasn't he?

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, helping him up. She dropped a few herbs, but she didn't even notice. Grabbing onto his arm, she pulled him up.

Naruto was shaking now. His eyes were glazed and his breaths were shaking and uneven. His eyes started to blur and the last thing he heard was Sakura shaking his limp body.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"Are. You. Joking. Me?" Tsunade hissed. She really should have known that Naruto wouldn't listen to her. He never listened to anyone. He was only going to get himself killed earlier. "What happened?"

Sakura gently laid Naruto on the Hokage's desk and stared up at Tsunade with a look of pity and annoyance. "He went into the forest and started training. I was picking herbs when he smashed a Rasengan into the tree that I was behind-"

"How'd he faint?" Tsunade asked, wanting to just get to the point. She wasn't in the mood for long, winding stories.

"He used another Rasengan and just crumpled to the floor. He fell unconscious a few seconds later," she explained, brushing a strand of stray, pink hair away from her face. She had ran all the way to the Hokage's tower, dragging Nagato's limp body. He really needed to stop fainting out of the blue.

Tsunade pursed her lips and muttered, "Why won't he ever listen to me?!" She took off the bandages under his shirt, careful not to rip the hood off, and found the skin around the seal to be red and inflamed. She probed it before turning to Sakura. "Get some new bandages for him."

Sakura nodded, heading out of the room to get medical supplies.

As soon as Sakura left, Tsunade sighed. "Why won't you ever listen to me?" She stared at Naruto, noticing a tuft of sunny blonde hair peaking through the hood. _'His henge isn't on?' _Her eyes widened and she quickly pulled the hood over his head, hiding his hair from view.

"Here, Tsunade-sama," Sakura said, holding out white bandages as she walked into the room.

Tsunade grabbed it and said, sternly, "Leave."

"Why?" Sakura asked, confused by her sudden change of tone.

"Go," Tsunade said, shooing Sakura away. "I need to check the seal."

"Is there a reason why I can't stay?" Sakura asked. "You can check the seal when I'm here."

"Just go," Tsunade said, her patience dwindling.

"Fine," Sakura gave up. She laid the basket with the herbs on the desk and left the room.

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

_'Where the hell is he?'_ Sasuke thought with faint annoyance. Nagato was no where in the house. He had searched the entire place, and found nothing but a spider web in the corner of an abandoned room. It annoyed him to bits, so he decided to just clean it up. He had to keep his home crisp and pristine. He didn't do it for his image; he did it because secretly, he was a neat freak.

_'He's not anywhere...'_ Sasuke sighed and decided to just go outside for some groceries. As much as he hated to admit, Nagato was right about his fridge. There was nothing remotely edible inside it, besides some tomatoes. He hadn't been shopping for a long time, so he might as well go now.

What suprised him was the fact that he didn't seem to be worried that Nagato was gone. He knew for a fact that Nagato wasn't wreaking havoc around the city. If he was wrong about that, then fuck.

He headed down the streets, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. He didn't want to give the fangirls the wrong idea. They were everywhere, hounding after him like a hungry snakes after mice.

"Sasuke-kun! Good morning!" He ignored that.

"Sasuke-kun, you're looking gorgeous today!" He ignored that as well.

"Sasuke-kun!" He kept his eyes trained on the floor.

"I love you so much!" He entered the grocery store.

_'Finally, they're gone...'_ He looked around the shop, and straightaway headed towards the fresh produce section. He didn't expect to find Sakura there, picking through some apples.

She turned her head and noticed that Sasuke was staring at her with his regular, impassive expression. She was just about to tell him to stop staring at her before she realized that she should probably tell him about Nagato, if he didn't already know. "Sasuke."

"What?" Sasuke snapped, irritably, heading towards the tomatoes. They were right across from the apples, so he was able to see her staring at him. Great.

"You know where Nagato is right?" she questioned, picking up a smooth, red apple. She inspected it before placing it into the plastic bag.

"No," Sasuke replied, curtly. He grabbed a plastic bag from next to him and placed a red, ripe tomato inside. He grabbed a few more, inspecting the fruit for any bruises before placing them in.

"Uhm, do you want to know where he is?"

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked, well more like commanded.

Sakura sighed. She was used to his cold behavior by now, but it still hurt to know that he didn't even care for her at all. Not even as a fellow human being. The Uchiha didn't care about anyone but Itachi. Only Itachi. She had a faint feeling that she was missing someone. _'Naruto... Yeah, he only cares about Itachi and Naruto. Even then, he doesn't show much.' _

"Well?" he asked, annoyed. "I'll be going if you're not going to answer."

"He's in Tsunade-sama's office. You should probably go visit him. He's hurt," she explained. She didn't even know why she was telling him about Nagato's well being. He probably wouldn't care if the guy was on the brink of death or anyone else for that matter.

"Hn. Why's he in her office?" he asked, in spite of himself. _'He's always near the Hokage for some reason... What's their relationship towards one another?'_ He had a sinking feeling. Maybe they were dating? Ever since Nagato came to Konoha, she's been different. Her demeanor was a lot less angry, and a lot more relaxed. Something within him came to life. He felt a tinge of disgust and a boatload of envy at the thought._ 'No... I'm just over thinking this. They aren't dating... What am I even thinking?' _

"He fainted... again," she said, bluntly. "From overuse of his chakra."

"How stupid," Sasuke replied, a smirk on his face. "He would do that."

"Are you doing to visit him?" she asked.

"No. I just wanted to know why he wasn't in the house," Sasuke said. "I'll be going then." He picked up his bag of tomatoes and headed towards a different section of the market. He didn't even wait for Sakura to answer.

_'When has he been this curious?'_ Sakura pondered with a small smirk on her face._ 'He even seemed a bit angry when I mentioned that Nagato's with Tsunade... Is it possible that... Sasuke's gay?'_

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

'"Ugh..." Naruto groaned out as he regained consciousness. His felt his legs hang off of a smooth surface. That wasn't his bed.

"You idiot!" Tsunade hissed out, glaring at the masked Naruto.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, and he blinked a few times. Sitting up, he felt a faint pain in his neck, but it didn't hurt as much as it had before. "Don't tell me I fainted... again."

"Yes, you did," Tsunade replied. "I told you to stop! You never stop! Nagato, you're going to die if you don't stop your chakra use!"

Naruto's eyes widened under the mask and he said, "Hold up. Like, I know that I shouldn't overuse my chakra, but I'll die from it?"

"Yes. Stop using it carelessly," Tsunade said, careful not to spill about Orochimaru being able to control him. She didn't want him to be more worried than he already was. "Will you stop?"

Naruto just chuckled, dryly, "Yeah. I promise that I won't use it." He wanted to live now. He wanted to be able to be with his friends in Konoha. His old idea of just dying because he had nothing to live for was washed away when he knew that his friends were there for him. They were always there for him.

"Alright. Brat, do you still need to rest? Or, are you fine?" Tsunade asked, her honey brown eyes staring at him with strong intensity.

"I'm fine. I'll be going and I promise that this will be the last time I end up here. Your desk isn't exactly the best place to rest," Naruto said, sliding off the desk. He felt a bit woozy, but he didn't mind it. "See ya, baa-chan." He grabbed the doorknob before Tsunade called out to him.

"Remember not to use your chakra because if you do, I'll use the chakra restrictors on you."

Naruto smirked and replied, "I won't. Don't worry." He opened the door and left the Hokage Tower, promising that he wouldn't wind up there again. He wanted to live for as long as he possibly could with his friends. He didn't want to die. Not anymore.

**-End of Chapter 13-**


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